Wolf
by Aisling-Siobhan
Summary: Harry Potter is a snake in lions clothing. What happens when he sheds his skin and revels his true green and silver colors to the Wizarding World? Add to the fact Draco is engaged to Ryder Hammond. He doesnt know Ryder and Harry are the same person HPDM
1. Alias

New fiction. This is the one that won the POLL a while back… even though I wanted to write the Harry/Lucius, the Harry/Draco one won. So here is 'Wolf', what do you guys think of the Banner? And review and tell me what you think of the first chapter as well please? You guys want Dark!Ryder or Neutral!Ryder?

"Wolf"

**Disclaimer: ** Well, what J. K. Rowling is… actually it might be quicker to say she owns everything… unless you believe in God (then he kind of out ranks JK) But the most important fact is, I own nothing… sniff!

**Summery: ** Harry Potter is a snake in lions clothing. He has known about the WW since childhood, but had to pretend to keep himself safe from Dumbledore. Now he's of age and can leave the Dursley's. What happens when Harry sheds his skin and revels his true - green and silver - colors to the Wizarding World? Add to the fact, that Draco Malfoy is engaged to Ryder Hammond. Little does Malfoy know Harry and Ryder are the same person.

**Rating: **R/NC-17 eventually. SLASH!!

**A/N: ** Completely AU if you can put the pieces together. I'll have Ryder pretend to go canon, if it makes the canon-Nazis feel better? DRACO/HARRY (Ryder) and that's really the only pairing I have in mind so far… Let it be known, I really wanted to write the HARRY/LUCIUS one but "Wolf" won the vote

**Banner: ** Ok, the RR Hammond thing stands for Harry's and Rose's names. Rose Robin and Ryder Ravyn Hammond. I did the rest of the banner before realizing I had a really large blank spot, so I put their initials in.

_XXX_

**Words: **5,296

**Chapter 1**

**Alias**

On the 30th October 1981, Lily and James Potter were sitting in their living room in Godric's Hollow, contemplating Fate. Just months ago they head learnt that their one year old Son was to be the defeater of Lord Voldemort, a megalomaniac who was trying to take over the Wizarding World and kill all non-Pureblood Magical folk. Now, Lily Evans was a Muggleborn, which meant her parents were not magical. Fortunately for young Harry Potter, his Father, James, was a Pureblood.

Harry James Potter had his Father's messy black hair, and his Mother's gorgeous jade green eyes. He was fairly pale but that was mainly because he hadn't been outside in quite a while. He was slimmer than normal young children, but he inherited his slimness from his Mother as well.

Now back to Harry's destiny. The prophecy, which declared Harry a saviour, also put the child and his parents in grave danger from Lord Voldemort, who even now was searching high and low for the family.

Harry's Godfather, Sirius Black was also Pureblood, and his other Godfather Remus Lupin was a half-blood Werewolf. The group's final friend was Pureblood, and quite possibly inbred. Peter Pettigrew was, at that very moment, spilling his guts to Lord Voldemort in return for his new Lord's favour. As the family were hiding under the Fidilus Charm, only people who knew their location could find them. And now Peter – their Secret Keeper – had told Voldemort. While the family hid, in what they believed to be relative safety, Voldemort planned his attack.

Now, Lily Potter was frowning as she paced the living room. James had slumped into one of their cushy armchairs and refused to get back up again. Upstairs in his cot, Harry was talking to one of his imaginary friends. His parents gushed and cooed over him when they found out he was making people up. Sirius was stunningly proud of his imaginative Godchild. Remus was the only one to be slightly worried. As a Werewolf he had excellent senses, and insisted that Harry's imaginary friend had a scent.

So, either Harry found a pet, or someone was sneaking into Harry's room at night.

Remus, of course was right, but everyone else wouldn't believe him because of the Fidilus Charm. Unfortunately, what the Potters' didn't know was that Harry – who was a Parseltongue from birth – had made friends with a pretty little snake in their garden and told His Secret to the animal.

That pretty little snake just happened to be a very talented little girl.

_XXX_

"Hello Harry," the green asp that had been wrapped around one of the bars of Harry's cot let go and fell to the floor. The snake shifted and writhed for a moment and then in its place was a very young girl. "How are you?"

Harry looked up from where he was lying, and then moved so he was kneeling in the cot. The little girl stood on her tiptoes, her small hands gripping the bars of the cot as she tried to peek in at her friend. "'Lo, I'm fine." He let out a small yawn, "you?"

"I am very well thank you," she spoke in perfect English, which was amazing for someone as young as she was.

She looked about three, but was in fact younger than two. To be accurate, she was the exact same age as Harry. And Harry was 15-months old. She was very pale, with large emerald green eyes – the colour of the Killing Curse – and her iris' was rimmed in a thin ring of yellow. She had long black hair that hung to her waist, and was tied back with a pink ribbon. She was dressed in an antique looking black lace dress, with a large pink ribbon tied around her waist and into a bow at the back. She looked a lot like a porcelain doll, especially with the black lace bonnet on her head.

Harry in comparison, with his plain blue baby grow with gold snitches on it, looked very ordinary and boring. But the little girl didn't mind. As far as she was concerned Harry was going to be her twin Brother. Very soon.

"Rose?" Harry whispered, "Can Mommy and Daddy and Moony and Padfoot come with us?" Moony was the Potter family's nickname for Remus' Werewolf and Padfoot was what they called Sirius, when he was a Grim (or a large black dog). Peter was Wormtail, because his animagus form was a rat.

Rose paused, "no," she bit her bottom lip, "not now at least. I'll ask Father." Harry nodded and didn't argue. He trusted Rose.

Rose Robin Hammond was also a Pureblood. Her Mother was Irish and her Father was half-British and half-Romanian. Apparently, his Father had been a Vampyre. A very rich one at that: very high up on the hierarchy. Now, to the Purebloods, creature blood was as pureblood as it came. They didn't mind, as long as you didn't marry a Muggle.

After complications with Rose's birth, her Mother hadn't been able to have any more children, and Rose had decided she wanted a sibling. Rose had decided she wanted Harry.

While her Father was half-Vampyre, her Mother was Rowena Ravenclaw's Heir, and as such she had Seer blood running through her veins. One night, as she was sleeping, she dreamt of the death of Lily and James Potter and the slaughter of young Harry. Rose was a very intuitive child, and after asking enough questions, found out that Harry would die. And so she made friends with him and decided that she would make sure he lived, and then he could live with her.

Her Father was taking care of most of the preparations. Her Mother was shopping for necessities and Rose was waiting for Lord Voldemort.

When Voldemort didn't arrive by midnight she frowned. "Goodnight Harry, I'll see you tomorrow." In a blink of an eye, there was an asp wrapped around the bars of Harry's cot. Coil after coil, Rose slithered her way to the window frame, and out through the gap Harry had demanded be left open. Harry stood in his cot and waved after her, until a man in a long black robe with long black hair and very sharp looking eyeteeth picked her up.

"Bye," he lay back down and fell asleep.

_XXX_

October 31st 1981 started like any normal day. Harry hummed to himself at the table as Lily tried to force porridge into him, before giving up and making the boy cornflakes, with lots of sugar on top.

"That's my boy," James called fondly as Harry happily munched away on the sugar, and spat out the cornflakes.

James finished his coffee and read the Daily Prophet newspaper. Lily fed Harry and then herself and turned the radio on for a few minutes. Then they sent a letter through their floo system to #12 Grimmauld Place, which was where Sirius and Remus were hiding out because it was also under the Fidilus Charm with Albus Dumbledore as their Secret Keeper.

A while later Sirius and Remus sent a letter back.

Then Harry watched TV for a little while, and went for a nap. And when he woke up, Rose was standing at the bottom of his cot.

"'Lo, are I going with yous now?" Harry asked, with his head tilted to one side.

"That's 'am I going with you now', Harry." Rose corrected primly, her hands finding purchase on her narrow nips. She had on another lacy doll-like dress today. Except it was a pale blue colour with a large silver ribbon and bow, and silver gloves to cover her sleeveless arms. She had blue flat shoes on and knee high white socks. Her hair hung over one shoulder, knotted into a plait. "And no, not yet Harry."

Harry nodded and when Rose had turned herself into an asp and slithered out of his open window, he began to cry until Lily came upstairs to let him out of his cot.

"Good afternoon my little soldier. Would you like something to eat?" She smiled warmly.

"SUGAR!" Harry shouted, bouncing in his Mother's arms.

"I don't think so," she huffed walking into the kitchen.

James, from where he sat in front of the TV snorted, "Ah let him have some sugar Lils." He pouted. Lily ignored him and made Harry toast.

Harry was left in the nursery for a few hours, in which time, Rose appeared again. And like every other time, only Harry could see her, or hear her or smell her (unless you were a Werewolf). "'Lo again," Harry smiled and pushed a toy towards the girl.

Rose didn't pick it up but she smiled. "Thank you and hello too."

From where he sat James muttered, "hey Lils." Lily stopped what she was doing in the kitchen and turned to look at her Husband. "Would you look at that?"

Lily Potter nee Evans smiled as she watched her Son talk to himself. He was smiling and laughing and repeating words as if his invisible friend was correcting his pronunciation. He handed a toy forward again and with a small smile Rose took hold of it, just for a moment before letting it fall to the floor. That moment was a moment too long. Lily shook her head, her eyes wide as she stared at the floating toy. "James," she hissed, "did you see that?"

"See what now?" He asked, turning his face away from the TV. Lily rolled her eyes. She was imagining it, she must have been, it was the stress of Voldemort getting to her that was all. With a sigh, she carried on washing dishes.

Rose stayed with Harry for the rest of the day. At ten-minutes-to-twelve that night, Lord Voldemort blasted open the door. James Potter cursed Peter Pettigrew as he duelled Voldemort for a mere ten minutes as Lily grabbed Harry and ran for the child's bedroom. Falling, dead, to the ground, James never heard Lily's scream as a very young girl stepped out of the shadows at the bottom of the stairs and followed her up to the bedroom. Voldemort didn't see her though.

Lily slammed the door in the girls face; to be fair to Lily, you couldn't blame her for mistaking the young girl. Rose did look a little like Voldemort had done when the man was still fully human. Fortunately for Harry, his friend wasn't Voldemort's daughter. Lily screamed again as Rose walked straight through the door. Lily began to sob hysterically as she scanned the room for James' Comet 360 racing broom.

"Looking for this?" Rose asked, holding the sleek polished broom out in front of her. Lily jumped forward to wrench it out of the girl's hand, but Rose moved too fast. She was standing at the other side of the room now, when Voldemort blasted the door off the hinges.

"Oh Merlin, please," Lily begged for the broom.

Rose was inherently cruel, having Vampyre blood in her veins after all, but she took even greater pleasure as she watched the Mudblood woman beg for her and her Son's life. Rose held the broom close to her chest and made it so Voldemort couldn't see either the broom or her, and watched.

"Please not Harry, take me instead."

"Move out of the way silly girl!" Voldemort hissed impatiently.

Rose laughed as Lord Voldemort began to explain why Harry had to die: he told Lily all about the prophecy before he cast the Killing Curse on her. Rose laughed, and that time both Harry and the Dark Lord turned towards the noise. Voldemort shrugged it away, and raised his wand towards Harry.

Now the murder of Lily and James didn't bother Rose, she didn't particularly want the parents to join her family (maybe the Pureblood Father, possibly if he wasn't dead), but she most definitely wanted Harry. With a hiss, she ran in front of Harry and closed her eyes.

Her mouth opened and closed as she began to chant in Romanian, her arms crossed over her face, the spell finished just as the Killing Curse hit her. "Avada Kedavra!" Voldemort shouted, before his eyes widened in disbelief. What he saw was Harry James Potter reflecting the Curse onto himself.

What really happened, was that Rose invoked her Vampyre blood – that usually lay dormant till she came of age – and used it to protect herself from Death as she threw herself in front of the Curse to save Harry. Some of the evil magic seeped around her and licked at the defenceless boy's face, cutting his forehead open. It could have been worse.

Rose appeared for all to see, just as Voldemort's body imploded, his soul shooting out of its mortal confines like a rocket and bouncing off of the ceiling and the walls leaving scorched stains. Thanks to his Horcrux's Lord Voldemort was able to resist the call of Death, and floated out of Harry's permanently open window.

Rose smiled, lowering her arms from their position over her face.

So Harry Potter wasn't the Boy-Who-Lived after all; merely a boy who made a very special friend.

Harry frowned, raising his fingers to wipe the blood off his forehead as he began to wail. Rose grabbed his wrist and licked the blood off his fingers and then lapped at his forehead like a cat after milk. When all that was left was a pink scar in the shape of a lightening bolt, and no more blood, Rose pulled back. Her saliva had healed the cut super fast.

She held her hand out and pulled Harry to his feet. He wobbled unsteadily for a moment. "Stay there," she commanded. She walked quickly around the room, collecting some of the toys she knew Harry always played with, and some of the boy's baby photo albums. She ran down the stairs, ignoring the corpse in the living room and grabbed a few albums out of the draws that contained pictures of both of Harry's parents as they grew up. She found a few photos of Remus and Sirius as well and took them. With everything held against her chest she made her way to Harry's room.

Harry was leaning over his Mother, prodding her in the shoulder. "Get up, get up," he muttered.

"She's dead," Rose said callously. Harry blinked at her, tears gathering in his eyes. "You can have a new Mum."

"Will she love me?" He asked with a sob.

"For always," Rose smiled. "Just like your old Mum did." Harry sniffed again and wiped his nose with the back of his hand. Rose made a face and handed him a blue silk handkerchief (to match her dress). Harry looked it over once and not knowing what to do with it, shoved it down the neck of his baby grow.

Rose found a small rucksack under Harry's cot and filled it with all the things she had gathered and slung it onto her back. She wobbled slightly under its weight and took Harry's hand. "Anything else you want?"

Harry let her hand go and ran to his cot. He reached his hand through and took hold of the baby blue fleece blanket and pulled it through the bars. With it held to his chest the little boy took the young girls hand again and started walking to the door. The right hand corner of the blanket had the letters 'HJP' sewn onto it in gold.

As Rose reached up for the doorknob – she wasn't able to transform into an asp with Harry – the door flung inward and knocked Harry on the head. He fell to the floor unconscious and Rose growled. She made herself and the backpack invisible and crouched by the wall.

She was about to bite the man when another two ran in after him, wands raised. The man who had opened the door was old with long white hair and a long white beard. He was dressed in garish orange robes with green stars over them. Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster if the prestigious Wizarding school in England (Hogwarts) looked around and picked up the unconscious boy off of the floor.

Sirius Black had black hair and blue-grey eyes. Remus Lupin had brown-greying hair and warm brown eyes. Both looked slightly ill and worried. Rose assumed that they noticed the corpse in the living room. Remus let out a howl when he noticed Lily's prone form and sniffed, his head titled to the side as he searched for Harry's invisible friend. Rose shifted so she was standing directly behind Dumbledore and Harry and Remus stopped sniffing.

Sirius tried to take Harry from Dumbledore but the old man wouldn't hand the boy over. Rose didn't really care what they were saying; she was trying to think of a way to get Harry back. She bit her lip till it bled, but could think of nothing that wouldn't ruin her dress. In that time, Remus Lupin had gone searching for Hagrid and Sirius Black had charged out of the house after Dumbledore mentioned that Peter Pettigrew should pay for his crime.

Dumbledore smirked down at Harry; sure he was alone in the room. "You will make such a good weapon my boy. Shall we play a game of chess?" He laughed and Rose growled again.

If only Voldemort had known what she knew about the prophecy.

_XXX_

Outside Number 4, Privet Drive, Little Whinigan, Surrey, Albus Dumbledore lay Harry Potter down on the front porch steps. The child was wrapped in the baby blue blanket with the gold letters 'HJP' sewn on one right corner. The boy had refused to let it go, no matter how hard Dumbledore tugged at it. Dumbledore had hoped to leave nothing of the Potters with Harry, but he supposed the blanket would have to stay.

He left a note pinned to the top of Harry's blanket and left, after assuring Professor Minerva McGonagall – who trusted him implicitly – that Harry would be well taken care of.

_Dear Mr and Mrs. Dursley, of Number 4,_

_The Dark Lord Voldemort murdered Mr and Mrs. Potter today: their son Harry survived. Harry will be a very powerful Wizard, more so than me I'm afraid to admit, and so I require your help in keeping him grounded. Treat him as you wish, I am well aware that you despise magic users, but be warned many others will be outraged if Harry was found to be abused. So keep your punishments hidden. I trust you to be of a self-protective nature and will help me keep my hands clean while you are at it. _

_Good day to you, and thank you for shaping my newest pawn. Sincerely,_

_Albus W. P. B. Dumbledore. _

Rose smirked as she read the note, before folding it back up and pocketing it. She stood on the doorstep, hidden by shadows with her hand resting on Harry's chest should he wake and be scared. On the other side of the street a black Dodge Viper silently parked and the chauffeur jumped out to open the back door.

A tall man, in a long black robe, with long black hair that fell to his waist, stepped out. The chauffeur got back into the drivers seat and swallowed nervously. The man leant back against the car and watched the two young children. He smiled when Rose looked up and met his eyes: when his lips pulled back, two pointed eyeteeth winked at the young girl. She grinned back, her own teeth winking in reply.

Rose tapped her foot impatiently; Dumbledore didn't even have the sense to ring the doorbell. She stood and rang the bell, pressing the bell down so it sounded in a long continuous buzz, and crossed her arms, her feet tapping impatiently. A loud thumping sounded in the house. A beefy looking man with a horridly bushy moustache answered the door, a rifle pointing at Rose's face.

"Hello Sir," she said, her accent posh and just screamed 'money' which was enough to grab the attention of the greedy Vernon Dursley. "My name is Rose Robin Hammond. I'm here to talk to you about your Nephew."

"Don't have one," he gruffed and tried to slam the door. Her toes caught in the door, but she didn't wince as Dursley pressed all his weight on the door. She gave the door a small tap and it flung inwards, knocking both adult Dursley's over.

"Now that was rude." She scolded. She looked down at Harry, and Petunia Dursley – lily Evans' Sister – let out a scream, before muffling it with her hands.

"We don't want it," she hissed, glaring at the young boy.

"Nor do I want you to have him," she sneered. "Which is why I have a proposition for you." Mr. Dursley petted his moustache as he thought. It looked like he was in pain.

"And we won't have to keep the freak?"

"No," she said curtly. The 15-month-old stomped her foot, reminding the adults of just how young she was. "Can we hurry this up please?" She whined. "There are wards around your home. I can change them, so if any Magical people check on Harry, it will look and feel as if he was here. You won't have to do anything. If they peek, carry on as normal and they will see you speaking to Harry, even if you aren't. In return you say nothing to anyone about me or me taking Harry away understood?"

"What do we get?" Vernon asked rubbing his hands together.

The girl smirked, her eyeteeth flashing menacingly – the spell she did to protect herself from the Killing Curse had woken her Vampyre self too early and she was hungry – and snarled, "I won't eat you and torture your Son."

"Ok," Petunia whimpered, having recognized her from one of Lily's Care of Magical Creature books. "I have some of my Sister's stuff in the attic, do you-" She offered hesitantly.

"No, we are leaving." Petunia exhaled in relief. "Not a word. And if you are good in ten years time, I may have payment for you. Of the monetary kind." She grinned and Vernon made an excited noise. All he had to do for ten years was pretend someone didn't exist, how easy could making money be?

"Bye," he slammed the door the minute she was passed the threshold.

With a glare, she stuck her head straight through the door, "that was also rude," she pulled back as Mr. Dursley nearly had a heart attack.

Across the street Atticus Altair Rochairt moved away from his car and towards Number 4. He looked down at his Daughter and picked up his sleeping new Son and turned and walked back to the car. Rose followed with a smile, the rucksack still on her back.

The chauffeur jumped out of the car again, and opened the door. Rose climbed in first, handing the bag to the chauffeur who put it on the front seat and then held Harry as Atticus slid onto the seat. He handed the boy to the Vampyre Lord and bowed.

"Thank you Jarvis," Atticus nodded and Jarvis shut the door, got into the drivers seat, and drove away.

With the adoption of Harry Potter, Atticus Altair Rochairt had moved his family back into his British Mother's family mansion in Wiltshire. Previously they had lived in his Father's Castle in the Carpathian Mountains, but Rose would prefer to be in the thick of things. And England would get interesting in a few years time, Atticus supposed.

He held the boy tighter as they sped away to Wiltshire in his black Dodge Viper. Beside him, Rose yawned and stretched her hands over her head. She leant against him, and with a self satisfied smirk, she drifted asleep.

_XXX_

In Wiltshire, there were two mansions belonging to Pureblooded Wizarding families. One was Malfoy Manor and belonged to a family of French-British origins, currently housing Lucius Malfoy, his Wife Narcissa nee Black and their 16-month-old Son, Draconais.

Atticus smirked, it wouldn't be a bad idea; he mused as he considered the young blond child. He'd wait before he made any final decisions he concluded.

The other Mansion of course belonged to Atticus' Mother. Belladonna Beatrice Lestrange was the Aunt of Rudolphus and Rabastian, the two Death Eaters who were being arrested at that very moment. Their Father had been the second oldest child, Belladonna was the eldest and the favourite and so her Father had made her Head of the Lestrange Family – good insight on his part, as none of her branch of the Family joined Voldemort.

Belladonna had been travelling in Romania when she met Dracul Vlad who she fell head over heels for. Leaving her home in England she married the Vampyre – who she later learnt was the Count Dracula – and had one child, Atticus. Atticus had been in Ireland when he met his Wife, and they decided to live there until his Mother died. Mateless once again, Dracul took to roaming the globe and left his Son in charge of that lifetime's worth of fortune. And so they moved to Romania just months after Rose was born.

Lestrange Manor only housed Violet Louise Hammond at the moment, but the rest of their family was on their way.

When they passed by Malfoy Manor, Lord Lucius Abraxas Malfoy was pacing the drive as Narcissa nee Black – Sirius' Cousin – ran out of the front door to meet her Husband. Lucius looked to be in shock, and Atticus guessed it was because he had just learnt of his Lord's defeat.

Or you'd think.

If you were Rose, you'd know the real reason.

A House Elf followed the Lady of the Manor, a young blond boy held tightly in its arms. "Mistress, mistress, a cars be going passed." It said shrilly.

Narcissa turned to stare at the Dodge Viper; her mouth dropped open as she grabbed Draco and held him protectively.

"It's not Aurors," Lucius informed his Wife, who was on the look out for Wizarding police. "They're going to Lestrange Manor."

"Oh, are the family back in the country?" She asked conversationally. Her fears, for the time being, forgotten. "Last I heard they lived in some Eastern country."

"Romania dear," Lucius said distractedly. His eyes fixed on the Quidditch field that separated both Mansions. The Quidditch field was actually joint owned by both Families because when it was first set up, each family owned half the land it was built on and neither would sell their share. "Maybe we should visit tomorrow."

"Yes, lets," she turned and made her way back inside. The car had passed the Quidditch field and stopped outside Lestrange Manor. Jarvis was out of the car, and carrying Harry and the backpack to the door, as Atticus lifted his sleeping Daughter and followed. Violet opened the door and let everyone in.

Rose woke as they crossed the threshold and turned to look at the staring Lord Malfoy. She waved and smiled, her eyeteeth winking. He swallowed, and while trying to look unhurried, rushed into the house after his Wife.

Rose looked around the foyer as her Father set her down. Her hugged her Mother as Atticus carefully woke Harry up.

"'Lo Rose," Harry whispered, while eyeing Atticus and Violet warily. Mr. Rochairt and Mrs. Hammond (as they preferred to be called: sometimes Atticus would be addressed as Mr. Lestrange too) smiled warmly at the young boy. "Yous my new parents then?"

"'Are you', Harry, say it right," Rose corrected and Harry repeated the sentence. "Yes they are. This is my Mother and Father and now they are yours as well. Would you like to be my twin?" Harry nodded.

"What would I have to do?"

"If anyone asks 'who are your parents?' say 'Atticus Rochairt-Lestrange and Violet Hammond' ok?" Violet answered, her voice like warm honey.

"Not Lily and Jame?" Harry asked confused.

"'James' dear." Rose corrected automatically. "And no, they are your 'old parents', people only ask about your 'parents' ok?" Harry just nodded. "And Harry is your 'old name', do you want a new one? To match mine?"

Harry grinned, "Yes peas!" He bounced on the balls of his feet excitedly.

"'Please'." she said, her hands on her hips. She grinned, "I know. RR Hammond, like mine." Harry pulled the handkerchief out from the neck of his baby grow where Dumbledore hadn't noticed it. On the right hand bottom corner 'RR Hammond' was sewn, the first 'R' was reversed so the long tails of both letters were back to back. Harry tucked it away again before anyone could take it away.

Her parents watched her and waited; content to let the 15-month-old name the new child. "Ryder Ravyn Hammond." She decided with a nod of her head. Ryder nodded in agreement. "Welcome to Lestrange Manor, Wiltshire…. And welcome to the Family."

Ryder yawned. "To bed," Violet ordered picking Ryder up. Atticus grabbed Rose around the waist before she could protest. They carried the children through the halls where House Elves were working furiously to get the Manor perfectly clean and tidy. They carried the children up the stairs that wound up and up to floors where more House Elves cleaned. They opened two doors to two bedrooms that had a connecting door between them.

Ryder was dressed in a blue pyjama set, with trousers and jacket, decorated with silver snitches and racing brooms. Rose wore an ankle length pink nightdress with silver lace around the hem, the neck (at the chin) and the sleeves, with several silver buttons up along her chest and neck.

Violet lay Ryder down in his new cot, a replica of the one he had at Godric's Hollow, as Atticus placed Rose in a queen size bed fitted with lace and silk pink sheets and a fleece comforter. A silky blue sheet was laid on top of Harry's fleece blanket, which the boy was allowed to keep as long as he didn't show anyone, followed by a second blue fleece blanket with lace sewn around the edges.

"Sleep for now, Ryder," Atticus said, his arm around his Wife as they stood in the doorway, "tomorrow you learn to be one of us." He smiled at the portrait of his Mother, which was hanging on the wall. Ryder would be a Lestrange before long, even if they had to resort to magic. The two adults headed back to their living room, and as the Muggle's would say, 'wet the baby's head'.

Around the bars of Ryder's cot, a green and black asp was wrapped. She flicked her tongue out, tasting the air. After determining that Ryder was asleep, she changed back and as Rose lay down beside her new Brother, on top of the blankets and smiled.

"Sleep well little Brother," she grinned, "the Malfoys visit tomorrow." She yawned and closed her eyes, the memory of the prophecy playing out in her sleeping mind.

_The one with the power to defeat the Dark Lord approaches… _

_Born as the 7th month dies… _

_He shall be forced into the roll he does not want… _

_He will be given no choice… _

_The Sister is really His saviour… _

_But she will corrupt Him… _

_The Dark Lord shall not be defeated this time… _

_Dumbledore frowned: this just wouldn't do. A quick memory charm later, anyone who had overheard Sybil Trelawney speak would have heard a much different prophecy. Dumbledore smirked. Now, he thought, to stop Lily and James from having another child._

_If Harry were the prophecy child, they wouldn't have time to consider a second. Especially not a Daughter! Now, to inform the Potters of how wonderful and helpful their Son would be (with the correct guidance)._

**XXX**

Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed it! I think I'm going to like writing this fiction. Bye for now.


	2. Alliance

I would like to thank every one who DIDN'T FLAME me. Thanks for the reviews you guy's rock.

I would like to also point out that I do know what a Mary Sue is, and no I am not self-inserting, because if I were to be in a fiction it would be as The Amazing Dork!! And she's not in Wolf.

Also, Rose is not actually a 15-month-old, she just looks it. You'll find out why later, but she's actually two souls combined (her initials are RR – guess who she is) and she's kind of like Harry's guardian angel… just pretend that Dumbledore stopped her from combining with Rose in the canon ok.

And I was a bossy know-it-all who spoke like Rose when I was that age… then again, I also tried to eat a dictionary. The really big ones, that have to be split in two because they are so large… and then I dropped it on my foot.

Romanian will now be in Underlined.

Gaelic will be in _Italic_.

Parseltongue will be in **Bold**.

**Words: ** 6,256

**Chapter 2**

**Alliances**

Narcissa Malfoy was a stereotype in many peoples opinion: she had the classic model look, with her blond hair and blue eyes and thin, tall figure. She was viewed as nothing more than the dim trophy wife of Lucius Malfoy, and she didn't mind. When people underestimated her, her plans worked out twice as well. Narcissa may have been a purebred Pureblooded Witch, but she was human enough to admit she was terrified. The only thing that had kept her family safe while allowing them to voraciously drabble in the Dark Arts was Lord Voldemort. The same self proclaimed Lord who had been defeated by a child the near same age as Narcissa's own Son.

And now her Husband was at risk.

She didn't love Lucius Malfoy; hers were one of the arranged marriages that blossomed into a close friendship. Rather than develop romantic attachments to one another they instead shared the details of their secret affairs. But she would dearly miss him if he were to be sent to Azkaban, and so would their Son.

Their Son would be forever tainted by his Fathers arrest. Their beautiful innocent little boy wouldn't be able to grow up with his Father, or see his parents in public together, or get hugs – when Lucius deemed it an appropriate situation to hug in – Narcissa frowned. If Lucius went to Azkaban, her Draco would be little better off than Harry Potter – after all Draco would still have Narcissa.

No, she thought, it wouldn't do to pity the boy who is causing such mess. Narcissa hated worrying, it gave her frown lines, which required hours of beauty potions and handfuls of gold. It was more the fact that she needed the treatment, than having to spend the money that bothered her.

Narcissa Malfoy paced the front corridor, just waiting. Her Husband and one other Inner Circle Death Eater had accompanied their Lord to his defeat but as far as she knew they would not be permitted inside. There was a small chance, maybe, that Lucius knew how Voldemort died.

How the Daily Prophet got hold of the 'Boy-Who-Lived' story before her Husband even returned home Narcissa would never know. She was relatively sure she didn't want to know either.

Beside her, Dobby stood with Draco held tight in his arms. "Mistress, the Master bes returning, Dobby bes telling you Mistress."

Narcissa shot him a cold look, and turned to open the door. The young blond child wiggled slightly as he recognized the word 'Master' and knew it meant 'Father'. He looked imploringly at his Mother with large grey eyes and held him arms out.

Narcissa didn't reach out for him, because she was already running through the threshold and down the pathway towards her Husband. He was brusied and his hair was a state, his robes torn in places, but other wise he seemed to be healthy enough. She stopped in front of him; she didn't dare try and enclose him in a hug like she would have done if they had been inside the privacy of their Manor.

"Lucius!" She whispered and his eyes met hers.

Dobby came up behind them, Draco still wiggling in his arms and coughed. "Mistress, mistress, a cars be going passed." It said shrilly.

Narcissa turned to stare at the Dodge Viper; her mouth dropped open as she grabbed Draco and held him protectively.

"It's not Aurors," Lucius informed his Wife, who was on the look out for Wizarding police. "They're going to Lestrange Manor."

"Oh, are the family back in the country?" She asked conversationally. Her fears, for the time being, forgotten. "Last I heard they lived in some Eastern country."

"Romania dear," Lucius said distractedly. The car drove along side the joint Quidditch pitch, the sun glinting off its tinted windows. Lucius frowned. "Maybe we should visit tomorrow."

"Yes, lets," she turned and made her way back inside. The car stopped outside Lestrange Manor. Lucius watched as, first, the butler got out of the car, a small black haired child in his arms, and a child sized backpack slung over his shoulder. A tall, aristocratic dark haired man stepped out when the butler opened his door. Lucius stared at whom he assumed to be Lord Lestrange. The Lord leant back in the car and pulled out what Lucius first assumed to be a life size doll. Which turned out to be a young girl – presumably his child – wearing a lacy blue dress.

They walked towards the door, the butler in the rear. A tall woman with black hair to her waist opened the door for them and smiled. When everyone had crossed the threshold, Lucius almost turned to go into his own Manor.

But something stopped him. He caught a flash of white, like the reflection off a watch when you twist your arm about. He squinted and finally noticed what was reflecting the light. The girl child had woken up and was staring straight at him. Her mouth was half open as she smiled. Two very sharp, shiny looking eyeteeth winked at him as she waved almost mockingly.

Swallowing heavily, Lucius nodded his head and tried to appear unhurried as he hurried back into the safety of his Manor. He would see them tomorrow, and he would puzzle over the child for now.

"Narcissa," he called as the door slammed shut behind him. He vaguely noticed a House Elf warding the door as he walked down the corridor. He entered a large parlour room to the right, and smiled at his Wife who was sitting in one of the wing-backed chairs, her shoulders straight.

"Lucius, what happened?" She pressed a hand to her mouth to stem the wave of questions bursting forth, her other hand pulled a handkerchief from her sleeve and dabbed at her eyes.

"I- to be honest I don't quite know." He frowned and took a step forward. He leant down to Draco who was sitting patiently on the floor, waiting for his Father's attention. He picked the child up and sat in another of the wing-backed chairs, the boy on his lap. "Severus and I were waiting outside, we were not permitted to enter. There was talking and laughing, until our Lord burst in. We heard shouting and saw the Killing Curse cast, on Potter Sr. I presume." Narcissa waited as he paused, wringing the handkerchief in agitation.

"Evans, she ran. I saw someone go up the stairs through the window. She had the child, Potter, with her. We could see her through the nursery window, which was open. There- Narcissa I swear it, there was another child there. A girl child! Holding a racing broom and laughing. Evans saw her of that I'm sure, but our Lord didn't."

"Maybe he did and thought her below his notice?"

"He would have feared her, I feared her and she wasn't beside me. Narcissa there was something strange about her. She felt… different." It was widely known that the Malfoy family suffered from emotional constipation, but there is always a deeper reason for things that at first seem banal. The males in the Family usually have a little talent for empathy. Being able to read other peoples emotions is a mind straining gift, and when one suffers from apathy, one is not as affected by their empathy as they should be. Lucius Malfoy just happened to be one of the more powerful in his line, and so he appeared as one of the coldest as well.

As his power was strong, he was sometimes able to sense more than emotion. He could sense being; your soul, your magic, your life. He once looked at one of his fellow Death Eaters and knew they would die within a week. Two days later, he killed the same man, irony.

When he had glimpsed the girl child through the window, he tried to read her, he wanted to suss the new threat to his Lord and Lucius' own power. The girl was blurry. Magic appeared as bright colourful wiggly lines wrapping themselves around their host in a web of power. The brighter and more colourful your magic the more powerful you are. Your life is sensed through your aura. A large sheet of energy draped across your body that just pulses with every heartbeat. Your soul is tied into it.

Lucius' own magic was a shimmering silver colour; quite powerful. His life pulsed silver as well; strong, healthy, long. The threads of forest green that were woven through his life were the indication of his soul, hanging on to mortality. When he read the girl child, her magic, her soul, and her life were two colours. That wasn't supposed to be. There had only ever been one documented case where a person had two-coloured magic, and that person had been, quite truly, a split personality. Dr. Jekel and Mr. Hyde were quite famous for their ability to revert from one person to the other in anger or fear.

"The girl child laughed, Narcissa, as our Lord killed Evans. Even Severus flinched from the sound. I didn't see what happened next well enough. I saw the green light speed towards Potter and then it hit our Lord and he was no more. Scorch marks just appeared on the walls and ceiling and Potter sat there like nothing had happened. Severus fled, probably to make a 'report' to Dumbledore. I stayed a moment longer. The girl child- Cissa I think she was going to take him with her. She packed up photographs and toys and clothing for Potter. What would someone like that want with the Saviour of the Wizarding World?"

Lucius rubbed his eyes tiredly, when he lost control of his emotions it made his head hurt. He could feel his Wife's worry and his Son's weariness. He sighed and took pity on his young child. "We shall finish this tomorrow, our Draco needs his bed." He stood and rather than give the boy to Dobby, as he usually would have done, he carried the child to his bedroom.

"What are-?" Narcissa asked, shocked but pleased in a way.

"If I had been inside of that house, I could have died with our Lord." Lucius frowned again, his back to his Wife. He began to ascend the stairs that led to the floor with Draco's nursery on it. "And I would died, and I've never ever tucked my Son in at night." He paused, "you know, there is an awful lot I haven't done."

"Maybe this is your chance. If you can keep out of Azkaban maybe the Dark Lords defeat can be a good thing for us?" Lucius just nodded. "We'll see the Lestrange's tomorrow yes?" Lucius nodded again and walked on.

_XXX_

The next morning dawned bright and early, and there was a girl child missing from her bed. One would have thought the Lestrange household would be caught in fits of panic, but there were calm. No one worried when Rose went missing. Rose was a special little girl, quite capable of taking care of herself.

She knew, her parents knew, everyone knew she wasn't like other children. She was too well spoken, too cynical, too cruel, too smart, too set in her ways and she'd barely begun to live. Harry Potter – now Ryder – had a well enough command of the English language, but then again Lily had been a very clever child as well.

Rose however had a completely different reason.

She had known that there were two others outside of Godric's Hollow, but she hadn't cared. One would inform Albus Dumbledore of her presence and the old man would know he failed. The other, well she just couldn't wait for Lucius to figure it out. She knew he was an empathy, she knew he was clever and opportunistic. She didn't know, however, the correct time it would take for Lucius to draw the correct conclusion about her.

Her existence shouldn't have been, and She felt guilty as sin for dragging poor Rose Robin Hammond into Her affair, but there was a young boy who needed protection. And She could protect him this way, much better than She could have as a spirit. She and Rose were essentially two separate beings. It was like hearing voices in your head. She would tell Rose things, teach her things, enable the child to do things, and in return Rose shared her body willingly, allowing Her to see and hear and feel and smell things She hadn't sensed in nigh on a thousand years.

It was no coincidence that Rose's initials were 'RR', She wanted something to remember Her old life by. In time She would fade into Rose, as nothing more than a memory and knowledge garnered from a time Rose would barely remember.

Who better than Rose to host Her? Rose: the Daughter of her own Heir, with the ability to survive death thanks to her Father? She smiled softly, sitting up in the cot of Her charge and ran a hand lovingly through the young boys hair. He had much to learn and much to accomplish.

While Fate was fickle, she was determined. She wouldn't dream of comparing herself to the Fates, never, nor was Her plans set in stone like Destiny. But She was here now, having orchestrated the meeting between Violet and Atticus and blessing their union with a girl child. She would have no use for a male-host, after all.

People always assumed Salazar Slytherin had been the dangerous founder. In fact, Slytherin was the one didn't care for people's opinions and so never bothered to hide what he was doing. She however had a reputation to keep. She couldn't abide people prying into Her business and more than once some nosy busybody ended up dead in a ditch outside of Hogwarts. But it was too late to feel remorse, She had never in life and She didn't intend to clog up Rose's brain with negative feeling either – especially not with an empathy so close by.

Harry yawned and opened his eyes, "'Lo." His small fist came up to rub his eyes and mouth groggily and Rose giggled. She allowed the body to make the noise, as at the moment She was in control of it. The 15-month-old girl child was happily playing with make believe toys and searching through Her memories from a thousand years ago, playing out make believe games of knights and horses and princesses. She smiled softly. If times were not as they were, it would never have come to this, She thought.

Poor Rose Robin, part-Vampyre and inherently cruel. Along with Her soul in the body, the child had no chance. Her own anti-Muggle prejudices had interfered already and allowed for the death of Lily Evans. It could have been avoidable, She supposed, but then memory charms would have had to been placed because Lily would not be permitted to remember her child. She sighed; all this thinking was giving her a headache.

With a soft, whispered, "come forth child," She allowed herself to slip into the mind of a one-year-old, and let Rose back into the drivers seat, so to speak.

"Hello Ryder, how are you this morning?" She tilted her head to the side and She frowned in the child's mind. This was becoming a problem; the girl would have to learn to act like other children at the very least. Maybe the problem could be passed off as being a part of a Vampyre inheritance come early? It could work as long as no other Vampyre's were present, She decided.

"I'm 'ine," Ryder smiled, growing quickly accustom to his new name. But then, he trusted Rose. "Can we eats peas?"

"Peas?" Rose wrinkled her nose in disgust, "oh you mean 'please'?" Ryder nodded.

"That what I says." He insisted, sitting up in the cot at last.

"'I said' Ryder, really." She stood up, and in an instant an asp was curled around the cot bars and slipping easily out of the children's prison. Rose smiled at Ryder when she changed back, her pink nightdress fluttered around her small ankles as she skipped towards the door. "SURI!" He cried and clapped her hands when the Elf appeared. "Dress us."

The House Elf bowed and clicked her fingers. Rose's nightdress vanished and in it's place was another antique dress. 'She' liked them, they reminded Her of Her own childhood clothing. This dress was a familiar shade of blue and She smiled at the colour. The Noble and Studious House of Ravenclaw truly had a wonderful shade of blue representing it. There was a white silk ribbon, three inches wide that tied around Rose's upper body, starting at the waist and ending just under where her breasts would bud in some years time. It was knotted at the back in the Geisha fashion, so the ribbon was folded and hung down Rose's back like a waterfall.

Rose slipped her feet into a pair of flat Ravenclaw blue shoes with small white bows on the heels as Suri undressed Ryder. Ryder ended up in a pair of brown doeskin breeches that ended just below the knees and were tied with a small black ribbon on either leg. Black stockings covered the calves of his legs and tucked under the breeches. He had a black silk shirt on, with a waistcoat of doeskin, and a black silk handkerchief was folded and placed in the breast pocket.

All in all, Ryder looked very much the middle ages gentleman's child. 'She' smiled at the sight, after all these years she still hadn't stopped feeling nostalgic. Ryder – her Harry – looked so much like her own eldest Son, before his untimely death. Maybe that was why She was so determined to save him: because She couldn't save Her own child?

"Look stupid," Ryder grumbled pulling the handkerchief out of his waistcoat pocket.

"You look like a dolly!" Rose giggled childishly. Ryder pouted, and Suri refitted the handkerchief.

Ryder's feet were forced, by Suri, into a pair of flat black slipper-type shoes, which looked like they had jumped straight out of pre-revolution France. The golden buckle set the doeskin off nicely, She decided. She urged Rose to lead them to breakfast and to hurry her parents on the issue of the Blood-Oath Ceremony. It had to be performed before the Malfoy's arrived.

_XXX_

The family gathered in the dungeon. It hadn't been hard to find a sacrifice for the Fates. There were plenty of foolish people who would happily step into a dark alley with you for the right incentive. Unfortunately, they needed someone a little purer than a prostitute for the Blood-Oath; but that hadn't posed much more of a problem. A few faked tears were all it took to get some poor, unfortunate, kind woman to come running and help Rose find her 'lost' parents.

The same woman was now bound and gagged in the centre of the family members. She was stripped naked, spread eagle. Her feet nailed to the floor with nails almost as long as Ryder's arms and as thick as his finger. Her hands were nailed similarly, and she released muffled cries of pain through her knickers that had been stuffed in her mouth, when Atticus got annoyed at the sound of her voice.

A deep purple rose had been placed on her chest, its head resting in the valley between her breasts. A black candle and a white candle stood side by side in the 'V' of her thighs. A wicked sharp dagger its pommel embedded with rubies covered her belly button with the tip of the blade resting in her pubic hair. She whimpered in fear as Atticus moved forward, a paintbrush in his hand. The end of the brush was congealed with blood, a fresh layer having been spread over the bristles. First he had used his own blood, then Violets, and then Rose's and now he needed Ryder's.

The blood had been used to draw runes on the sacrifice's skin; runes for love, protection, happiness, loyalty, healing, faith, and family covered the woman's skin. There was one rune left and Violet picked the dagger up from the woman's abdomen and moved to press the knifepoint on Ryder's left wrist. With a small shriek, blood began to well up around the blade and trail down Ryder's hand. Violet lay the knife back down, and Atticus swirled the brush head around on the wound collecting as much of the blood as he could.

Atticus began to trace the lines to create the rune for acceptance – the rune most commonly used during a blood adoption – on the woman's forehead. He lay the brush down on the floor and took up the dagger again. He retraced the lines, carving them into her flesh as she screamed through the gag. Tears began to spill down her cheeks, smudging the rune for loyalty that was painted on her left cheek.

Atticus snarled and slapped her hard, before repainting it with his own blood.

Then he began to chant in Romanian, "Lord of All, God and Goddess of Creation, Creator of Being and Bringer of Death, hear my plea. I offer this mortal forth, let her be your bounty, your possession until a more favourable offering is offered. In exchange bind this male child, Harry Potter to me, make him my kit, of my get. In exchange for his life I offer the life of the mortal woman. The Sacrifice upon my alter is yours Holy One, most Evil One, for your exalted pleasures. By blood and breath I claim Ryder Ravyn Hammond."

When he finished, he drove the dagger down hard between the woman's eyes. She was dead before she could scream. Atticus waited to see if his offering was successful, and then turned to Ryder. The boy was glowing faintly, the wound on his wrist having healed without a scar, and he was rubbing his eyes tiredly.

Suddenly he shrieked, and then he wailed and he cried and began to claw at his own skin, succeeding in peeling a chunk of it off of his arm before Violet hit him with a stunning spell.

They watched with baited breath as he was transformed before their eyes. What once was Harry Potter with black hair and his Mother's jade green eyes and lightly tanned skin was now deathly pale, his hair an even deeper shade of jet than before and his eyes like Rose's: the colour of the Killing Curse.

His ruby red lips turned down as soon as the stunning spell was lifted and Ryder rubbed his tired eyes again. He opened his mouth and hissed as he cut him lip. Violet gasped, she hadn't realized this would happen. 'She' had thought there might be a chance, but never mentioned it: Violet Hammond liked to pretend there was nothing scarily strange about her only Daughter, so She never spoke to her.

Atticus frowned and clicked his fingers. A House Elf appeared. "Sufi, fetch another." The Lord ordered quietly. Sufi returned moments later with a struggling seven year old in his arms.

"MOTHER!" The boy screamed when he caught sight of the dead woman. Atticus pulled the boy away from the House Elf, which disappeared with a 'pop', and threw the child towards Ryder.

Ryder looked up, Avada green eyes wide with confusion, and wonder; seeing things for the first time with the eyes of a Vampyre. His attention turned to the sobbing boy at his feet, the seven year old moved to hit him and Ryder didn't duck. The fist met Ryder's mouth with a 'crack' but the one year old didn't cry out. It hadn't hurt, not much, not really. The seven year old was cradling a swollen fist though.

Ryder moved forward and the other boy seemed to freeze up. Before the boy could run, Atticus' hand was fisted in his hair and Ryder's mouth was sucking harshly on his neck. The fangs broke the skin and with a tortured groan the boys life began to leave him, as Ryder feasted for the first time.

Half alive the child dropped to the floor, while Violet proudly pulled her Son away. Rose moved forward to finish the victim, her eyes flashing from Avada green to Ravenclaw blue for a moment as 'She' moved Rose's hand lower to cup the crying child's crotch and gave a hard squeeze. He gave a whimper and Rose drank her fill before allowing Her to end the child's suffering. With a quick snap of his neck the boy joined his Mother in death.

Ryder licked him lips, "'m hungry. Want more peas." Rose didn't bother to correct him this time. 'She' summoned a House Elf and had them remove the mess from the floor, which the Elf did quickly before leaving.

"The Malfoy's are on their way," she informed them.

Atticus hummed, "what shall I tell them? About you Milady?"

She turned to face her hosts Father and smiled; a truly terrible sight, "why my Lord Lestrange, tell Lord Malfoy anything you like. If he doesn't like it, I can always kill him."

"As you wish Lady Ravenclaw." He smiled.

She laughed, "Call me Rowena." She left the dungeon, the rest of Rose's family following.

And who ever said Salazar Slytherin was the really evil one?

_XXX_

The Malfoy family stood on the front porch of Lestrange Manor. Lucius held a bottle of his finest wine in one hand and in his other he carried a bottle of bourbon. Narcissa held Draco as the boy wiggled furiously, wanting to get down. They felt it was rude to try and floo straight in, and instead apparated to the Family's driveway. The butler answered the door with a knowing smile.

"We were expecting you, the young Lady said you'd visit."

Lucius and Narcissa exchanged confused glances. It couldn't have been the woman who answered the door last night, Lucius thought, because she was the Lady of the Manor. And the only other female he had seen was that girl child, who was too young to be referred to as a Lady.

"This way please," Jarvis said. "Your cloaks please?" He held out his hand, taking the outstretched cloak Narcissa gave him, and Draco's baby cloak as well. Lucius kept his. "My name is Jarvis, pleasure to meet you Lord and Lady Malfoy. And your Heir, of course."

"A pleasure," Narcissa answered when her Husband said nothing.

Jarvis led them into a large room further down the corridor that was glowing warmly with the light of a fire. There were two long sofas and two armchairs arranged tastefully around a mahogany coffee table. "Please take a seat, my Lord is on his way."

Jarvis left the room as Lucius sank into one of the armchairs. Narcissa sat on one sofa, with Draco on her lap. She let out a small scream when she turned back to face Lucius. In front of her, where there was no one before she sat now stood a 15-month-old girl in a Ravenclaw blue kimono-style lace dress with a white band around her waist.

"Lady Malfoy, a pleasure." The girl sat on the opposite sofa. She stared at Lucius, lowering her mental barriers so the empathic man was easily able to read her aura. Lucius gasped loudly and tried to cover it with a cough, turning his face away.

"Ah you have met my Daughter I see," Atticus smiled as he entered the room, his Wife on his arm. "This is my Wife, Violet Hammond. That is Rose Robin our Daughter." He looked pointedly at Lucius, purposely only using the two names that began with 'R'. A small boy walked in as Atticus sat down in the second armchair. Violet sat beside Narcissa and began cooing over Draco who was positively preening under the attention. "This is Ryder Ravyn, Rose's twin."

"'Lo," he said as he moved to sit beside his Sister.

"A pleasure to meet you all," Lucius smiled. "You have a lovely family," he complimented.

Atticus laughed, "try living with them. It'll change your mind." Lucius just nodded. The blond man stood and offered the bottles to his host with practised ease.

"As guests we thought it fitting. Think of it as a welcome present."

Atticus looked over the bottle of wine and let out a whistle, "1803?" His eyes brow was raised.

"The Malfoy family have an excellent vineyard, going back generations." Lucius couldn't take his eyes off of Rose even as he spoke to Atticus. "Where are my manners? I am Lucius Abraxas Malfoy, Lord of the Cunning and Noble House of Malfoy." He pointed to the blond woman, "This is my Wife, Narcissa of the Most Noble and Honourable House of Black. And this is our Son, Draconais Lucien, Heir apparent."

"I know," Atticus looked at Rose before turning back to Lucius. "My own manners seemed to have abandoned me. I am Atticus Altair Rochairt, Son of Belladonna Lestrange of the Despicable and Affluent House of Lestrange. Son to Leonard Rochairt, current name of Count Vlad Tepes III, Prince of Romania."

Lucius' eyes widened slightly before he masked his surprise with indifference. "Even more of a pleasure then my friend."

"We shall talk in private, follow me, my friend," he used the term in more of a mocking manner than Lucius had. The blond aristocrat stood, and nodded in the women's direction before following the Vampyre Prince out of the room.

They spent the next three hours holed up in Atticus' study on the fourth floor, talking about everything that was important and nothing in particular in turn. Lucius finally worked up the nerve to talk about Rose.

"Your Daughter is- how do I put it? Special." He paused. Atticus said nothing, he didn't defend his family or his honour, he only smiled. "She's different. I'm an empath."

"I know," the dark haired Lord smiled.

"She's not your Daughter. Well, truthfully, she is much more than just your Daughter. If I were to get technical I would state that there were two beings sharing a body. One very old and the other – your child – very young."

"You would be right."

"You know?" Lucius jumped out of his chair in surprise. "You haven't had her exorcised?" Atticus merely smiled again. "Isn't she in danger? The last recorded case caused the host to revert into a mass murdering sociopath."

"The last recorded case, Lord Malfoy. There have been others, I assure you, that have turned out for the better. I know of one other person that suffers – that is a bad word, let's see… a person that is of the same talent, I should say. Not at present, but he was and he will be."

"I'm afraid I don't understand." Lucius squeezed the head of his snake cane, dis-attaching it from where it had hung off his belt. It was a nervous habit he had developed since purchasing the cane.

"I shall explain." Atticus poured two glasses of bourbon from the decanter Lucius had gifted him with. "My Daughter is my child, she is young and innocent. She shares her body with another, older, far more dangerous spirit. But it is a fair exchange and my Daughter is in control most of the time. As Rose grows the Lady's presence will diminish further. Once the Lady finds what she is looking for, she will go completely. In return for the use of Rose's body for short periods of time, Rose has received knowledge and information that has been lost for centuries. Information Ryder has received – as her twin – by default.

"The Lady is dangerous, but only because of her need for revenge. Her need to protect Ryder stems from an incident she suffered in her mortal life. Her Husband and Son were murdered, her Daughter survived of course. She is in essence Ryder's guardian angel. Rose is the perfect vessel, as the Daughter of the Lady's Heir. Rose is her last tie to her surviving Daughter, the one child she managed to save."

"But who is this 'Lady'?"

"Violet Hammond is the Heir of Ravenclaw," Atticus said taking a sip of his bourbon. "Very good, very good," he muttered drinking more.

Lucius stayed silent, digesting the information. From what he remembered of his History of Magic lessons, Ravenclaw had disappeared from the face of the earth after Slytherin's death. A boy was found dead beside the man – everyone assumed the child had been murdered by Slytherin. There was rumour of a girl having been seen in the area, but that a dark haired woman had kidnapped her – Ravenclaw.

"I thought- but didn't Slytherin… it couldn't be!" Lucius muttered.

"I assure you, my Husband did not murder our Son," Rose smiled. Lucius jumped out of his seat in fright as the girl just appeared before him. Out of thin air without the accompanying sound of apparation or a Portkey.

Lucius slapped his hand on his thigh, "of course. The other joint spirit, the other person like you, is Salazar Slytherin! He'd have to share a body too. Would the boy be your hosts age?"

"Older," She answered, Rowena. Her Ravenclaw blue eyes flashed as she glared at the floor, "I did what I had to do to protect Ryder. He will understand. In time he will thank me." She left the room, this time by using the door. The fact that she skipped through the threshold humming indicated that the girl child was back in control of her body.

"That was," he started.

"Interesting? Informative? Down right weird?"

"All of the above I believe." Lucius gave a sneer before downing what was left in his glass, and holding it out for a refill.

"There is one more matter of business I wish to converse about," Atticus poured the refills and leant back in his chair.

"Fear not my friend, I shall not speak a word of it."

"Your discretion was never in question Lucius." He rubbed his chin. "Your Son, has he been promised to any one? In marriage?"

"No. Your Daughter?" Lucius sounded rather worried.

"Of course not, she has a soul mate with Salazar's host. I meant Ryder."

Lucius raised an eyebrow, "they would make a fetching couple I admit. But Draco might not like boys."

"He will, trust me." Lucius gave a small cough, which prompted Atticus to explain. "My Wife, as Heir of Ravenclaw is a Seer. She Saw our Sons together, but they were impeded by an unbreakable marriage contract between your Son and a Miss Parkinson. This conversation was started with the intention to spare both boys that particular hardship."

"If what she Saw was to be, then by all means." Lucius sipped his bourbon. "Draw up the contract and I'll have my lawyer look over it before I sign it."

"Agreeable." Atticus held his hand out for Lucius to shake. "It will be interesting having you as an-" he paused.

"Ally?" Lucius suggested.

"An alliance between the Malfoy and Lestrange families is a thing to fear. No, I shall call you my friend."

"Agreeable," Lucius smirked and stood. A House Elf cleared the empty glasses before the men had left the room.

They met their wives in the conservatory, over looking the sun setting. Draco was sitting on the ground playing with one of Rose's toys and staring at Ryder from the corner of his eyes. Lucius read his Son's aura and then Ryder's and smiled. Their souls were very compatible as was their magic. A marriage between them would be for the best, he thought.

"We shall speak soon," Violet smiled hugging Narcissa. She faced Lucius; "you should try and appease the Minister before he demands your arrest. Soon, before nothing you do can change his mind."

The blond nodded and shook Atticus' hand. Narcissa picked up Draco, who began to wail and demand to be put on the ground so he could play with the other boy. Ryder just glared daggers at the blond's Mother. "Who's that?" She asked curiously as she spotted a young man walking stiffly towards the servants entrance of the Manor accompanied by Jarvis.

"Dinner," Violet grinned. Narcissa shuddered but kept her mouth shut. Holding Draco more tightly she muttered goodbye and apparated home. Lucius rolled his eyes in apology and followed. The Hammond family entered their home once again, and prepared for dinner. All except Rose.

Rose had felt sorry for Rowena and allowed Her to keep her body for the night. Rowena sat under a large oak tree in the deepest part of the forest that surrounded the Lestrange side of the acreage. She leant against the bark smiling softly as she felt the hardened wood bite into the soft flesh of her back. Her dress snagged and tore once as she wiggled into a new position. Her legs were tucked against her chest and under her chin. Rose looked so much older than she was when Rowena was in control.

"My love," She whispered to the night, "it was for the best. But I will get you back, even if I have to bathe the world in the blood of your killer and his kit. You will be mine in death, together forever." She snarled softly, her anger mutating the beautiful childlike face of her host, into one of evil incarnate. Her vow was heard by the Fates themselves and they snarled back at her.

Her love awaited.

**XXX**

Thanks for reading. I hope you keep reviewing…

More tests Tuesday oh joy!

I'm being different. Why have ANOTHER evil-Salazar fiction when I can have an evil-different founder?

More about Rowena and Salazar next chapter. Bet you CAN guess who Salazar's host is, it's kind of obvious. I also have a way to make Ryder neutral without killing Voldemort, aren't I a genius!! So Neutral-Ryder it is ok?

Also, someone said something I thought I should clear up. My plot lines are like my handwriting, they change. Regularly. So no, I am not a group of writers. My name is my actually name, not a group name. I am Aisling. Just so you know.

Bye then x


	3. In The Past

Here is the next chapter. I hope you like it even though it's the shortest of the three so far. We're almost at Hogwarts… I promise! The closer we get to Hogwarts, the closer you get to the smut

**Words: **3,453

**Chapter 3**

**In The Past**

Like many Pureblood families, the Wise and Trustworthy House of Dumbledore stretched back generations. In fact, Emmanuel Dumbledore was Leader of the Elders – similar to being Minister for Magic – when Hogwarts was first opened.

Emmanuel and Salazar Slytherin did not get on at all: mainly because they were both in love with Rowena Ravenclaw. Now, it is a funny thing, but Rowena had always assumed that Godric and Salazar were secret lovers because they seemed to fight and make up so often, it could have been mistaken for unresolved sexual tension. Salazar had scoffed at the notion and sent Rowena longing looks, which she had missed.

The reason Salazar and Godric had fought so much was because Salazar didn't trust Emmanuel and Godric used to say it was only because of jealousy. Those fights always escalated into anything banal that was happening at the time. Such as the first Muggleborn to appear due to an experiment carried out on Muggles by Healer Kerrigor Dumbledore – that family always seems to be in the thick of it all.

Now Salazar hated Muggleborns because they were technically unnatural, and because a Dumbledore was involved in their construction. Emmanuel was proud of his Father's accomplishment and made sure to boast of it to Rowena at every opportunity. Rowena however could care less.

She had known that Salazar was her soul mate; her Seer blood having let her See them together in years to come. But she still thought he loved Godric, so she kept her distance until he came to her. One day, Salazar couldn't take any more. Emmanuel had been all over Rowena, much to her disgust, and Kerrigor had even tried locking them in a room together in the hopes of something happening. If Rowena's virtue was called into question she would be forced to marry Emmanuel, he figured.

Salazar had found them in that room, and at first been heartbroken until he really looked at them. Rowena had been pressed against the wall, Emmanuel's hands up under her dress while his mouth fused to hers. Tears ran freely down her cheeks. Suffice to say, Kerrigor had to have another Son because Emmanuel was hexed so badly he was made infertile. And that was the nicest thing Salazar did to him.

After that incident Salazar couldn't help himself. He declared his love for Rowena from the highest tower of Hogwarts School and then almost fell to his death in the process. Good thing Godric was such a good Quidditch player and caught him. Helga Hufflepuff had been most pleased to win the bet she had going with the rest of the Hogwarts staff when Rowena and Salazar announced their engagement two weeks later.

The two were married in a lavish ceremony, with guests such as the Malfoy's, the Lestrange's, Hufflepuff's, Gryffindor's, Nott's, Prewitt's, among others invited. The Dumbledore's had been slighted on purpose, but no one mentioned it at all.

Within a year, Rowena was expecting a Son and Salazar couldn't have been happier. When Severus Damien Slytherin was born on Sahmain the entire Wizarding World celebrated the birth of the first Heir to the Founders. Except the Dumbledore's.

Rowena was pregnant two years later, and during that time Emmanuel had stirred up a lot of trouble. He had stolen his Father's ideas and experimented on more Muggles, causing a rapid increase of the Muggleborn population over the years since the soul mates married. With the threat of so much new blood to dilute their pureblood lines, many families revolted at the idea of sending their children to Hogwarts along side the Mudbloods.

Salazar was of the same opinion, and even thought of home schooling his Severus. Godric of course had been outraged. Their petty fights escalated into all out screaming matches, especially considering Godric himself was in love with one of the mother's of a Muggleborn. He eventually married a Pureblood by the name of Avery, and their Daughter married a Potter. But none the less, Godric couldn't believe how Salazar was acting, and that Rowena was taking his side.

No one really knew why she hated Muggleborns, although it was mostly to do with Dumbledore and how much the Mudbloods adored him. Salazar left, angry and bitter and began killing as many dirty-bloods as he could get his hands on. Rowena stayed in Hogwarts castle until her Daughter was born. Robin Sears Ravenclaw was born during the Winter Solstice.

When the child was a year old, Rowena ran from Hogwarts and to her husband. Together they made a new life for themselves and their three-year-old Severus and one-year-old Robin.

Until, a year later, Emmanuel Dumbledore found them.

With a mob of Muggle-lovers and Muggles supporting him, he attacked the modest cottage in the forest where the family lived and beat Salazar Slytherin to death: a most unfitting way to go for a member of the Cunning and Sly House of Slytherin.

Rowena had hidden her Daughter and rushed back to save her family. She had dabbled further into the Dark Arts than Salazar had, although no one knew that, and she was capable of defeating the mob. Unfortunately she wasn't in time.

Severus, as the Son of the Dark Wizard – who Emmanuel had told people was planning to take over the Wizarding World – had to be killed as well. Even though he was 4-years-old, they murdered him. And Rowena Ravenclaw screamed silently as she tried desperately to break down the shields the mob had placed around her Son.

They tied Severus to a tree and set it on fire. One man, Amanas Weasley had been kind enough to knock the boy unconscious first, so he felt no pain. But Rowena was heartbroken. She couldn't save them. She was a bad Mother, a horrid Wife. She ran, fetching her Daughter and fled.

Tom Riddle and the Gaunt family didn't stem from Robin Ravenclaw. Rather, when Salazar was a very young man, well before establishing Hogwarts, he had many illicit affairs with various women. One in particular, Morgan Gana, Daughter to Mor Gana (Morgana) had given birth to a Son. When Rowena fled, she stole the Son and renamed him Severus Slytherin in remembrance to her dead child, and no one ever knew that the boy was a bastard Heir.

The line of Morgana was thought to have died out, and only Rowena knew the blood continued through the Dark Lords veins.

As they were soul mates, they were supposed to die together. But Rowena didn't have the courage to kill herself and leave Robin and Severus II alone. So she carried on living, despite the fact that Salazar had been reborn into Harare Slytherin, Severus' Son. She still couldn't kill herself. She did carry on an affair with the much younger Harare for numerous years, until pregnant with another bastard child she finally threw herself into a river and drowned.

Now Harare and Salazar couldn't follow her because he had yet to carry on the line, which had split. Ravenclaw through the Daughter and Slytherin through the illicit Son.

When Harare died, Salazar was reborn into Harare's Grandson. Rowena was alive in Robin's Great-Great Granddaughter, and never found Salazar because she now lived in America. Through the years, the soul mates were either separated by country or age difference. At one point, Salazar's host was 200-years older than Rowena's and not even the call of the others soul was enough to tempt the 210-year-old man to sleep with a 10-year-old.

And so, Salazar died, and Rowena lived long enough to carry on the line, and killed herself again.

Rowena's host gave birth to a Daughter by the last name of Hammond, and died 31st December 1927, the same day Salazar's new host was born.

_XXX_

The orphanage was cold and lonely. It wasn't the most ideal place to raise children, but at least the staff never beat or attempted to rape their charges, like in some of the other orphanages. Now, that might make you think the children were happy, but they weren't. They all wanted mummies and daddies and people to love them.

There was only one kind staff member in the whole orphanage and she took care of the babies.

Tom Riddle was very lucky to be Mrs. Harmony's favourite baby when he was younger. When he was one she rocked him to sleep at night, when he was two she read him stories, when he was three she took him to the park, when he was four she taught him football, when he was five he left the Nursery, when he was six Mrs. Harmony died in a car accident.

When Tom Riddle left the Nursery the children surrounding him now were old enough to realize he was different. Like Rose, he spoke too well for his age and could hold decent conversations with the more academic staff members. He could count and read and write, and when Tom was eight he realized he could do magic.

When Tom learnt of magic, he also learnt another extraordinary secret.

"Hello Tom, how are you today?" Tom smiled when he heard the voice. That voice belonged to his only friend. It didn't matter that no one at the orphanage thought his friend was real; Tom knew he was, and he knew he wasn't a freak. Tom's friend made Tom feel special, and told Tom that the children in the orphanage were bullies and filthy Muggles, and that their opinions didn't matter. They were beneath Tom.

"Hello Salazar, I'm fine." Tom smiled, when Salazar gave him a mental hug. "And you?"

"I am well my boy." Now Salazar wasn't like any other imaginary friend. He was the very same Salazar Slytherin who had been reborn on December 31st 1927. He shared Tom's body and mind, and Tom happily let him because it meant that one day Tom would find someone who loved him, truly loved him, and they would get married and have a family, full of children that would love him as well. And he'd be a much better parent than his own had been.

Unfortunately for poor Tom Riddle, Albus Dumbledore current Transfigurations Professor at Hogwarts and found journals hidden away in his Vault, all belonging to Emmanuel, Kerrigor, and other Dumbledore's that had been alive during the times the soul mates reincarnated.

Albus Dumbledore then set out to exorcise Amanda Hammond – Violets Mother – and succeeded in driving Rowena's spirit away from the newborn child, six years younger than Tom at the time. That had been two years ago, and no more Hammond girls were born, because Dumbledore succeeded in causing Amanda's Mother to miscarry.

And poor Tom Riddle, unable to understand why Dumbledore would want to stop him being loved, began to go insane. Salazar was no better. By the time Tom was 16, his anger at his Father's family for being the first to not love him had been driven to the forefront of Tom's mind by the fact that they were the Muggles, not his Mother. And so, along with Salazar, he killed them.

Salazar had told Tom about the other times he tried to find his beloved Rowena, and how he always died before her. And then Tom had a brilliant idea. Half gone in his madness, he decided to become immortal, ensuring that no matter how old he got he would never die and lose his soul mate. He forgot of course that by splitting your soul, you split your feelings. So while he had successfully created six additional Horcrux by the time Rowena's new host – Rose – was born, Tom Riddle no longer existed.

Lord Voldemort had shut Salazar away in his mind, no longer needing the elder spirits guidance, and began his campaign of genocide. Eventually, he would find his soul mate, he thought, but his soul no longer soured at the thought. Because his soul no longer resided in his body.

When he was finally face to face with one-year-old Rose Hammond, his soul mate, he didn't recognize her. Salazar was shut away behind the madness screaming for Rowena but unable to warn Tom. And then Rowena helped to kill Tom and Salazar.

And Tom raged that a mere one-year-old boy defeated him, for he had not seen Rose. But Salazar had. And while he was hurt, beyond belief, he understood. Death was the only thing that would save Lord Voldemort from his madness. And the Horcrux would save Lord Voldemort from death. Upon his return, Tom Riddle would finally have someone to love him, and Rowena and Salazar would finally be able to rest in peace.

If life was only so easy.

_XXX_

Albus Dumbledore was not a happy man.

In fact, he was livid. How could a Hammond child have been born with out him realizing? Two in fact, not just one but two Hammond girls. The Daughter of Amanda – Violet was her name – Albus knew could not be the host because from previous experience, Rowena tended to skip generations for an unexplained reason.

He knew very well who Salazar's host was of course, and he made very sure that Lord Voldemort would no longer be around to claim a mate. That was where Harry Potter came in after all. When his newest weapon defeated Lord Voldemort, Salazar would be banished forever because Voldemort could only be defeated if his soul was bound back together – along with Salazar's – and then killed, thrust forevermore into hell.

And Rowena would wander on, alone, and finally give up the ghost – no pun intended – and find eternal rest.

With a growl, Dumbledore stormed out of his Headmaster's Office in Hogwarts and made his way to Surrey. Standing outside Number 4, Privet Drive, he smirked. Petunia Dursley could be seen clearly, standing in her garden behind a 1-year-old who was kneeling on the floor covered in mud. She was hosing him down trying to clean him up somewhat.

"Now, sit there until you dry. Don't you dare come in and get my floor wet boy." She ordered and young Harry sniffed.

Dumbledore was pleased something was finally going right. The Dursley's would make Harry properly compliant. The perfect, mindless soldier, to be thrown into Azkaban at the opportune moment after the War. He turned and left, heading to the Ministry to see how well Minister Fudge was coming along in his campaign to arrest Lucius Malfoy.

Of course, what Dumbledore saw were the changed Rowena had made to the Wards surrounding Number 4. What really was going on in the garden was Petunia was watering her petunias and Dudley was running back and forth while his Mother tried not to get him wet.

"Now, stand still and stay dry," she ordered a pouting Dudley, who was 16-months-old. "I won't have you coming in and getting my floor wet Diddums."

Albus Dumbledore, what a fool.

_XXX_

Albus Dumbledore was not a happy man.

He had sent close to one hundred letters to Number 4, Privet Drive and none of them had been answered. Harry Potter would be turning 11 in four days and still no word had come from the boy. The Dursley's better not be trying to keep him from me, Albus thought angrily.

What was really happening of course was that Atticus had known Harry would have to keep up appearances, if his family were to stay out of Azkaban without leaving the country. So when Rose was accepted to Durmstrang Institute at 8-years-old, Ryder by default was clever enough to attend with her. They skipped the first three, pointless years, knowing that Harry would have to attend 7 in Hogwarts anyway.

Ryder was in the process of finishing his OWLs when Dumbledore was sending Hogwarts letters to his alter ego. He had to work for most of the summer and holidays to be able to keep up with the other 4th and 5th Years in Durmstrang, because he still wasn't as clever as Rose was. Rose was, at the moment, in Malfoy Manor talking to Draco who was happily showing off his Hogwarts acceptance letter to his very proud parents.

The Malfoys didn't mind that their Son wasn't accepted to school at an indecently young age, after all no normal person could be that brilliant. Narcissa had even turned her nose up at Rose and Ryder for a month the last time they mentioned their OWLs.

Rose paused in her conversation and Draco shot her worried looks. "Ryder," she whispered and left the room without a word. She apparated to the nearest flooing station and flooed to Durmstrang. "Highmaster Karkaroff," she greeted. "I must speak with my Brother."

Karkaroff, a former Death Eater, bowed slightly and sent a message to the Ministry of Bulgaria school examiners calling Ryder Hammond out of his History of Magic OWL. Pointless subject, Rowena thought as they waited, goblin wars.

"Ryder I forgot! You need to go to the Dursley's, you haven't replied to your Hogwarts letter!" She gasped and Ryder smacked his head against the wall. Just a few more days till the deadline ran out and only one OWL to go, the timing couldn't be worse. "Here," she handed him a golden watch on a rather long chain which he looked at in surprise. "Hurry."

He hung the time turner around his neck and turned it back two days. He ran to the nearest floo and called out "Lestrange Manor, Wiltshire, England," and was gone in a flash of green flame.

The first thing he did when he arrived at the Dursley's home was shove a piece of paper to Petunia with his mobile phone number on it. His Father charmed his phone to work in magical places as well as Muggle, so she would have no trouble getting through to him in future.

Going to Hogwarts wasn't top priority on his agenda. He couldn't be bothered to deal with Dumbledore's manipulations nor was he looking forward to repeating his OWLs with a further three years first. And now he was going to have even less time to spend with Draco, considering he'd have to spend his holidays and most afternoons at Durmstrang trying to complete his NEWTs.

What's worse was that no one was allowed to know he was Ryder Hammond, not yet, and so he couldn't get permission to leave School at any time to do exams. On the plus side though, Harry Potter couldn't be too clever or Dumbledore might fear he could slip his leash. So as long as Ryder passed his NEWTs, Harry wouldn't have to do much work in Hogwarts.

To keep up pretence, Harry managed to talk the Dursley's into running away from Number 4 with him. On the 31st July, at 10 minutes to midnight, Rubeus Hagrid burst through the door of the hut, balanced upon a rock, in the middle of the coastal sea. Harry had to laugh at the looks on his 'relatives' faces.

He took the letter handed to him and opened it, "but- I- I can't be a Wizard," he stuttered loving this game, "I'm just Harry!"

The next morning, he was on his way to Diagon Alley to buy his School supplies. While it was really hard to pretend to know nothing about the Wizarding World he managed well enough, he even fooled his fiancé, Draco. Which kind of hurt his feelings, Ryder had figured that if anyone would see through the ruse it would have been Draco, obviously he thought wrong.

But he had no time to mope over that fact, because he was being dismissed from Madam Malkins and sent to Olivander's Wand Shop. Now Ryder already had a wand, 13 inches made of blood oak, with a Vampyre hair and Veela blood core. Harry Potter, however, ended up with Voldemort's brother wand, phoenix feather – how pure.

The moment Hagrid had disappeared from Privet Drive; Ryder was twisting the knob on his time turner and flooing back to Durmstrang to finish his final OWL. His new wand and Hogwarts robes tucked away in his new 'HJP' inscribed trunk, he made his way – alone – to the Hogwarts Express and went along with Dumbledore's games by asking the Weasley's for help. Why else would a Pureblood with children who had graduated already be wondering around lost talking about Muggles at the top of her voice, for any other reason than to attract Harry's attention?

But he went along with it. And when no one was looking, he turned and waved to the dark haired girl child who stood half concealed in the shadows, her eyeteeth winking at him as she smirked back.

And so began Harry Potter's First Year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

**XXX**

Thanks for reading, please review. The next chapter will probably be longer. I'll try and update Blurred Reflections later ok.


	4. Beginnings

Whoo, here is the next chapter… which is a long one again! I'm mostly focusing on how Harry and Ryder are in two places at once, and how Draco is feeling about both boys (who are really the same boy). Poor Draco.

Hope you like it.

**Words: **5,000

**Chapter 4**

**Beginnings**

Because Ryder and Rose lived in England, which was outside of the usual area Durmstrang accepted students from, they were allowed to floo to and from the Institute for holidays. At Hogwarts, Harry had to use the Express.

He followed the Weasley family dutifully past the barrier between Platforms 9 and 10: which he already knew was there, he had after all read 'Hogwarts: a History'. He smiled, rather impressed by the large shinny red steam engine that awaited him past the barrier. People of various ages were making there way across the train platform; adults loading trunks into compartments, children hugging adults goodbye, Purebloods glaring at Mudbloods, and of course Weasley's making as much racket as they could.

"This way Fred, George, over here! Come on Harry dear." Ryder rolled his eyes and followed, trying to suppress a grimace. The woman was so loud that her voice hurt his ears. Merlin, but he missed Violet Hammond already: his Mother never raised her voice not even when she was furious. "Come ON Ronald," Molly Weasley screamed and Ron went bright red as half the population at the station turned to stare at him.

Ryder sighed, and ran a hand over his face in exasperation. Ginny, the youngest, had spent the whole journey from the Muggle platform to the Wizarding one staring at him. No thank you Weasley, Ryder thought, I'm engaged. When Ginny saw Harry run his hand on his face she gasped. "Mum, Harry's sick!"

Molly Weasley then spent ten minutes hugging and prodding Harry, who insisted he was just tired. He shuddered when he was let go, determined to run straight from the Welcoming Feast and take a very hot shower. He was covered in Weasley germs. Draco would be horrified, he thought with a smile.

Speaking of Draco, there he was. Ryder nearly waved, but managed to save face by dragging his hand through his unruly Potter hair. Draco was so cute in his black Hogwarts robes with a green Slytherin crest on the right breast. Most students just bought plain black robes and had a crest sewn on after the Sorting, but Draco seemed certain he would enter the snake pit. Ryder sighed; he wished he could go with his boyfriend. He was going to hate pretending to hate Draco.

He had to be Harry Potter, because if he wasn't Atticus could get in trouble. Albus Dumbledore seemed to be placing a lot of pressure on Harry's narrow shoulders not to mention something about a Prophecy – maybe there was one, maybe there wasn't, Ryder didn't really care. He just wanted to be left alone. He couldn't wait till he turned 17 and then he could 'leave' the Dursley's and Hogwarts. When he was 17, he could be himself, his family would be safe and Dumbledore could go fuck himself with a broomstick.

He thanked the Fates for Rowena's knowledge. Nothing Atticus or Violet had found could help him hide his Vampyre traits, his blood cravings, or his new looks from people as magically powerful as Dumbledore and Lord Voldemort – who would be coming back by all accounts. With Rowena's help, they had weaved a second skin of sorts.

It was like clothing: when Ryder wore the 'skin', the runes it had been woven with made him look like a James Potter clone, and when the 'skin' was off, he looked like he normally did. Only people who knew he was wearing it could see it.

Lucius and Narcissa looked as immaculate as ever, in their finely woven robes made of the richest material known to human kind. Lucius' hair was tied back with a black ribbon, while Narcissa's hung free. Draco had taken to gelling his hair lately; no matter how many times Ryder stole his hair gel, Draco always found more. Lucius met Harry's eyes for a moment and gave the barest of nods before sneering in the Weasley's direction. Narcissa levitated Draco's trunk onto the train, into the compartment Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle had saved for them.

Ryder sighed as he dragged his trunk behind him, trying to lose the Weasley's so he could cast a weightless charm on it. How rude of Molly not to offer to help him! Or any of her children, for that matter.

Vince and Greg looked out of their compartment window as Harry walked past dragging the trunk along the floor. Draco took a seat, "what you looking at?"

"Hey Drake, where's your boyfriend?" Vince cooed and Draco smacked him.

"My fiancé is at Durmstrang as well you know Vincent." Draco crossed his arms over his chest. "What are you looking at?"

"Some boy," Greg said.

"I didn't know you swung that way." Draco laughed at the looks on their faces. Greg's Father wasn't the most open minded man, if Greg should ever decide to fancy the less-gentler sex Gerry Goyle would more than likely try to curse the thought out of his Son's mind. Draco shrugged in apology. "Who is he?"

"Don't know, but I feel like I know him from somewhere." Vince turned from the window and sat back down.

"I know how you feel," Draco huffed. "This boy, in Madam Malkins the other day, I swear I knew him. But he acted like he was a Mudblood, so I couldn't have right? I don't know any Mudbloods, but I think I know him. He smiled at me and I got the same feeling – you know the one?"

"Where your stomach drops?" Greg asked with a tilt of his head.

"No, that's fear, stupid!" Vince smacked him. "The one where you can't breath because you're afraid to break the moment?"

"Yeah that one," Draco grinned, before schooling his face into a neutral expression. "I got the same feeling when he smiled, that I get when Ryder smiles at me." He frowned and bit his bottom lips. "That's bad right?"

"Uh," Vince and Greg looked at each other and then at Draco. "Drake, you can't fancy a Mudblood!" Vince scoffed.

"Never mind that!" Greg added, "You can't cheat on Ryder!"

"I didn't mean to!" Draco sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I hate this! Why couldn't Father let me go to Durmstrang? It's probably because they have almost the same coloured eyes or something. The Mudblood reminds me of Ryder cause I miss him, right?"

"Must be," Vince offered with a tight smile.

"You'll see him at Christmas anyway!" Greg grinned.

All three expressions changed to indifference and boredom when the compartment door swung open and Pansy Parkinson ran in giggling with Blaise Zabini behind her. Now Blaise was straight, but there was never a boy born who should have been gay than Blaise. He giggled louder and Draco stared at his sexuality-challenged friend. "What?" the blond huffed.

"You haven't heard?" He said flicking his hair behind his ear. "Harry Potter is on the train!"

"We saw him!" Pansy shrieked, preening. "He was so cute, for a Half-Blood."

"Oh yeah, with the hair and those pouty lips that you just want to mhm-" Draco covered Blaise's mouth with his hand.

"That's enough." The unofficial leader ordered. He stood, and Vince and Greg followed him. "Come on, let's go see Potter for our selves." Blaise and Pansy took their seats and carried on gossiping over the dark haired boy.

"Try not to fancy Potter to eh?" Vince said with a laugh, "then you have a crush on a Mudblood, a Half-Blood and are engaged to a Pureblood."

"Covering all angles," Greg helped tease the blond boy who scowled but said nothing, intent on finding his idol.

He had been in awe of Potter for years. Ryder never showed much interest but he always answered any questions Draco had, or asked Rose if he didn't know the answer himself. Draco had asked one time, how Potter had survived the Killing Curse, and Rose and Ryder had traded looks before the boy answered his fiancé, "he didn't," and then they had laughed. Never once, had they tried to let Draco in on the joke. Nor had he ever got a straight answer. It would be tactless to ask Harry Potter himself, but maybe if they were friends Potter might say something. For once then, he might know more than Ryder, he thought with a grin.

They burst into a compartment with a black haired boy and a red head in it.

Ryder was dying slowly inside. It was the equivalent to having your appendix burst and leak a deadly poison throughout your body, killing your organ tissue bit by bit. He was seconds away from throwing himself out of the train window to get away from Ron Weasley when Draco and their other two friends entered. He bit his lip, hard, so he wouldn't cheer.

Ron didn't look too happy though; he sneered at Draco and glared at the two behind him. "Is it true?" Draco asked looking Harry over. "They're saying that Harry Potter is on the train. So it's you is it?" Ryder smirked mentally, it was probably Blaise giggling over him – the boy was such a queer, even if he didn't realize it.

"Yes, hello," Ryder said trying to sound shy.

Draco's eyes widened. It was the boy, the one who made his breath catch. He made a small whimpering noise. He could not develop a crush on Harry Potter: Ryder would never forgive him! What if Ryder left him because of Potter, what would Draco do then? Probably marry Pansy, he thought with a sigh. No, Draco decided, we'll be friends, and if not I'll hate him more than Father hates Dumbledore.

"Malfoy, Draco Malfoy," he grinned. He snarled at Weasley when the boy tried unsuccessfully to muffle a laugh. "Think my name's funny do you?"

No, no, it's so cute and sweet and totally suits you, oh I wish I could run my fingers through your hair and muse it up and kiss you when you're sulking. Ryder sighed.

"No need to ask your name. My Father told me all Weasley's are dirt poor, have freckles and more children than they can afford." He turned to face Harry, and the anger melted off his face. "You'll learn that some families are better than others. You don't want to make friends with the wrong sort, I can help you there."

Harry had to take a deep breath and pinch his thigh before he could force the words out. "I can tell the wrong sort for myself thanks," he ignored Draco's outstretched hand. The boy's pale face took on a light pink blush and his eyes watered slightly. Ryder sighed, he knew how much Draco wanted to meet Harry Potter – which was ironic seeing as they would get married in a few years – and he knew it hurt Draco to be rejected by people he really wanted to be liked by.

Draco fled the room, practically in tears, and Harry really wanted to go hug him. Ryder wanted to hug him, but instead he had to sit and listen to Ron Weasley laugh about how he was going to remember that until the day he died.

Draco ran into his compartment and threw himself onto the seat beside Blaise. "What happened?" The Italian asked.

"He rejected me! I got rejected by Harry Potter, for a FUCKING Weasley!" Draco shouted and kicked the floor.

"Why does it matter so much? Go back when Weasley isn't there and try again?" Pansy suggested.

"Yeah then he might get into Slytherin and I can share a dorm with him," Blaise squealed.

"You don't like boys!" Vince snorted.

"He could wear a dress?"

"HELLO, I'm having a crisis remember?" Draco wailed, musing his own hair up in his distress. "Rejected!" He turned to Vince and Greg, "that was the boy. From Madam Malkins, who smiled and reminded me of Ryder."

"Oh yeah," Blaise said before the others could say a word, "I forgot Ryder wasn't coming to Hogwarts. Do you miss your boyfriend Dwakey-wakey-poo?" He teased, laughing, and Draco managed to crack a smile before casting a silencing charm (that Ryder had taught him) on Blaise.

"I'll have to hate him," Draco decided.

He and Ryder hadn't done much more than hold hands or press their lips together for a few seconds at a time. Sometimes they shared a bed, fully dressed, and Ryder wrapped an arm around Draco's waist and pressed kisses to Draco's hair. The blond smiled and wished more than ever, that Ryder was there because he really wanted a hug right now.

_XXX_

The Sorting Hat frowned. The boy beneath him was a very hard choice. On one hand, he would be a fabulous Slytherin and his fiancé was in that House to boot. On the other hand, Ravenclaw would be great for him, as the Host's Brother. But—

"Gryffindor, put me in Gryffindor," Harry said again.

"You could be great you know, and Slytherin could help you on your way to greatness!"

"I have already bought the Gryffindor robes." Harry growled.

"Come on, let me put you in Slytherin!" The stubborn Hat whined. They'd been at this for the past ten minutes and the rest of the Great Hall's occupants were wondering if Harry Potter was a) about to be sent back home cause he wasn't powerful enough to belong in any House or b) far too powerful to go in any of the Houses and instead would become a teacher.

"Not Slytherin!" Harry said, crossing his arms mentally and putting his foot down.

"Oh fine, but you better do something interesting this year." The Hat paused. "Like go to the third corridor! Go on… a Slytherin would!"

"Not Slytherin."

The Hat let out a puff of air, and seemed to roll its eyes. "Then I guess it must be…"

Home sweet home, Ryder thought, squinting so the red and gold decor wouldn't blind him too badly. Gryffindor common room left a lot to be desired in the colour scheme department. Ryder sighed; he'd have to remember to ask Rowena what the fuck Godric was thinking.

_XXX_

As much as Draco tried to pretend he hated Harry Potter, he could never quite convince himself, or his Father. Both were sitting in the stands watching the first Quidditch match of the season. Severus Snape, resident Potions Master had taken one look at Harry Potter at the Welcoming Feast and despised him as a matter of principal. Lucius, who knew Harry was Ryder, was also finding it relatively hard to distinguish between the two boys. Ryder was doing a fabulous job of imitating a younger James Potter.

Severus wasn't really paying any attention to the match, if asked he wouldn't have been able to tell you who played apart from Potter. He was glaring holes into the child's head, or talking to Lucius while glaring holes into Potter's head, or watching Draco hand off the end of his seat as Potter took a dive or a hit of a bludger.

"What is with Draco, Lucius?" Severus asked sneering when the blond started biting his lip as a second bludger sped towards Potter's head.

"He seems to have developed an obsession, of sorts." The elder blond stroked the head of his snake cane and smiled slightly at his Son. "Every letter Narcissa and I have had home have been carefully coded epics about Potter's life. I had one that described for seven inches of parchment how Potter wore his hair." Severus snorted, and thought he'd have to give Harry Potter detention for corrupting his Godson somehow.

"Isn't Draco to marry Hammond?"

"Ryder? Yes, he is," Lucius almost laughed. Severus didn't seem to get on with Ryder either. Maybe it was the inherent Potter genes showing through and turned Snape away, but they could barely stand to be in the same room as each other. Not even Ryder's skill in a Potions lab could make Severus willingly spend time with him. Severus was far more taken with Rose, who he knew to be something special, although he was not sure what. Nor could he understand how she managed to beget a moron for a Brother. It was almost comical how Severus overlooked somebody's intelligence if he didn't like you.

"And it does not bother Hammond?" Lucius raised one eyebrow. "His fiancé is lusting after someone else."

"Lusting? Severus the boys are both 11! They hardly lust!" Lucius didn't laugh, but Severus knew he was amused. "They are young, let them have their fun."

"You did," Severus coughed to cover the comment. Lucius just huffed, ignoring the reference to his many affairs while in school, long before he married Narcissa.

The rest of the game passed in silence, till Potter's broom lost control and tried to buck him. Lucius had been sorely tempted to kick Professor Quirrell in the back of the head, but the stink of Dark Magic coming from the turban made him forget the idea. Hermione Granger, Harry's new bossy Mudblood friend, of course had to stick her nose in and set fire to Severus' robes. The idiot actually thought Snape would try and kill a student in a School he had working in for 15 years!

Fortunately the fire distracted Quirrell as well, and Harry Potter won the match for Gryffindor.

Not that Severus cared.

_XXX_

Ryder grinned and danced around the front Hallway of Lestrange Manor laughing. He was home for Christmas.

Again, Rowena had come through for them. They were originally going to use the time turner, but of course Ryder would have to spend Christmas in Durmstrang so he couldn't be at Hogwarts too. Rowena had helped them make a golem, once she had gained Rose's permission to use so much of the young girl's latent magic.

A Harry Potter-look-a-like, which had been constructed of rune magic and grave dirt, was now walking around Hogwarts, which was empty for Christmas except for Ron Weasley and a few Hufflepuffs. Another added bonus was that to look like Harry, Ryder had to shed blood on the golem. The blood linked the two of them together, so anything the golem learnt, Ryder would know and remember as if he was there.

He turned the time turner back to the start of the year, and flooed to Durmstrang along with Rose as if he had never left for the Hogwarts Express. The girl gave him a weird smile: Rowena ensuring that Rose knew he wasn't meant to be there, but also making sure nothing bad happened because Ryder was seen. She pulled the boy to the Hall, and they sat with their other friends as Highmaster Karkaroff began the start of year speech. They were unusually late today.

Viktor Krum, youngest international Seeker at 15 years, was a close friend of the Hammonds. In fact, he was Rose's boyfriend at the moment. For an 11-year-old she went through boys quickly.

When the Hammond children had started the Institute in 1989 at age 8 in 3rd Year, Krum and his friends were already 12 or 13 years and only in 2nd Year. Although they spent most of that year getting settled in, or being introduced to people and the new classes. They began their actual work the next year, in 4th Year, and started their OWLs. Ryder had yet to receive his results, because as he and Rose weren't old enough they were not allowed to test with the other students. Karkaroff thought that was ridiculous, but as an ex-Death Eater, no one paid him any mind.

The Highmaster walked along the tables, heading straight for the English twins. Rose was leaning against the 14 year old boy's side, laughing at something Krum said. Viktor smiled at the girl. He knew that she had a soul mate that wasn't him, but he didn't think it was much of a chore to go out with her until she found her mate. If he was with her, he'd take care of her, other boys – he glared around the Hall – wouldn't be so nice.

Highmaster Karkaroff coughed and handed over two sheets of parchment. The twins took one each and thanked the teacher in Romanian – which he understood because Durmstrang was charmed to translate languages into one the person being spoken would understand. Although, there was no translation for English, as the Hammonds were the only English speaking students there.

So if someone said something in Bulgarian, it wouldn't sound like English to the twins, but Romanian or Gaelic.

Ryder took a mock bow when Viktor read his OWL scores over the younger boys shoulder. Viktor and his friends weren't doing their OWLs till the following year, the same time Ryder would be killing himself over his NEWTs.

Ryder Ravyn Hammond:

Defence Against the Dark Arts – O

Charms – E

Transfiguration – O / Animagus Training - O

Potions – O

History of Magic – A (Why try hard when Rowena has lived the answers?)

Divination – P (Ryder uses that lesson to nap in – no doubt it would be just as boring in Hogwarts).

Arithmancy – E

Ancient Runes – O

Dark Arts – O+

Rose lifted her head off of Viktor's shoulder and looked over her own scores before giving her Brother a high five. Rowena rolled her eyes. "I better find Salazar," she muttered under her breath so only Rose heard her, "because I refuse to go to school one more bloody time!"

Rose Robin Hammond:

Defence Against the Dark Arts – O

Charms – O

Transfiguration – O / Animagus Training - O

Potions – E

History of Magic – O+ (She had lived it already)

Divination – O+ (well, she was a Seer)

Ancient Runes – O

Dark Arts – O+

Care of Magical Creatures – A

"Very well done," Highmaster Karkaroff congratulated them both. "You are a credit to Durmstrang Institute," he clapped them both on the back and walked off muttering to himself. "And now, whose school is the better one Albus!" He laughed and the students beside him cringed away.

Unlike Hogwarts, where you were sorted by characteristics, Durmstrang sorted you based on an entrance exam. The people who scored between 100 and 75 percent were in Alpha House (followed by the Year number), those who scored between 74 and 50 percent were in Beta House (year number) and those who scored between 49 and 25 percent were in Gamma House. Anybody who scored 24 percent or less was turned away.

Both Ryder and Rose were in Alpha House 6, and they shared the Alpha 6 dorms with 5 other 6th Year students. The 16 years olds were Dmitri Bjorn, Agatha Akta, Imogene Turdsky, Bennie Kazak and Acanthi Onawa. As there was such an age difference – even more than with Viktor and his friends – they all didn't really speak much, they however did ask the Hammonds for help on their homework regularly. And sometimes, the older students got the 11-year-old's drunk on Firewhiskey.

Their Quidditch teams were different to Hogwarts as well. There was a team for each Year and one for the Teachers. That was 8 different Quidditch teams, where Hogwarts only had four: this meant the matches were closer together.

Ryder had played Seeker for the 4th and 5th Year teams over the last two years, but he dropped from the team at the start of his 6th year. He would miss too many matches while he was in Hogwarts. Rose, however, tried out and won his spot.

Time sped, until it was Christmas again – he had gone back using his time turner – and now he was going home, again. This was going to get very confusing, Ryder thought to himself.

"RYDER!" Someone screamed. That was as much warning as Ryder got before a blond blur knocked him off his feet. "I missed you so much. I really need a hug. Can I have a hug?"

He smiled and wrapped his arms tightly around the blond he had wished he could have held all term long. "Missed you too Dragon."

He pressed a kiss to the top of Draco's head, and the Malfoy adults smiled softly from the threshold before turning and following Atticus to their guestrooms. Suri and Sufi the House Elves took their trunks to their respective children's rooms before going back to making dinner with the other Elves.

"Missed you more than you could ever know," Ryder vowed. He was home.

_XXX_

"You!" Harry called as Professor Quirrell turned around so his back was to the Mirror of Erised. "But you-" He started to protest before shaking his head. He had been a fool; how could he have believed Snape would risk Azkaban to kill the Son of a man he hated? It was ridiculous! Voldemort wouldn't have chosen him, ever. Quirrell though, was so obviously the best choice, because no one would have suspected him.

"Come here boy, and give me the Stone." Quirrell held his hand out and Harry walked slowly towards the Mirror.

The Harry-golem had seen Lily and James Potter in the Mirror. Ryder thought the Mirror must be rigged: he hadn't thought about the Potters since they died, why would he suddenly want them back? He had a family! Dumbledore really should learn to mind his own business.

It would have been nicer to see Draco in a wedding dress, but beggars can't be choosers!

The reflection placed his hand in Harry's trouser pocket and pulled out a roughly cut red gem, the size of a human heart, before putting it back in Harry's pocket. Ryder felt a weight against his leg and smirked. The reflection gave a mock bow and mouthed, "Ryder Hammond," before flashing a picture of a blond boy pouting because he was wearing an ivory white Muggle wedding dress, then the Mirror went blank.

He would have to show Draco that image, later, Ryder thought as he turned to face Professor Quirrell.

"What did you see?"

"You…" he smirked, "wearing a pink turban and a matching tutu! With frills!"

"The boy is lying," came a wheezing voice from behind Quirrell. The man began to mutter to himself, his words occasionally interrupted by the wheezing. "Let me speak to him."

"No Master, you are too weak!"

"Let me."

Ryder gasped and nearly jumped back as Voldemort's face appeared on the back of Quirrell's head. Rose was going to be disgusted, he thought, having to be soul mates with a leech! Rowena was going to be furious however. She'd insist Quirrell should have just given his whole body up, not just his head.

"Harry Potter," he wheezed, seeming to find it hard to breath. "Look at what you have done to me."

Don't say that, Ryder thought, I don't want Rowena mad at me.

"Give me the Stone, Potter."

The Stone Potter—

The Stone Pot—

The Stone—

"The Stone, Sir, what happened to it?" Ryder sat up in the hospital bed.

"It has been destroyed." Dumbledore told him as he recuperated in the Infirmary. Ryder frowned. "It was too dangerous to be left lying around. We were foolish, we should have destroyed it sooner."

"So Voldemort is-"

"Growing stronger, yes my boy, he is." Dumbledore sighed, and looked intently at Harry.

"That's too bad, Sir." He lay back down. "I'm tired," he said hoping the old man would get the hint and go away.

"Soon, he will be back more powerful and less saner than ever, and it will be up to us Harry, to defeat him once and for all."

Uh huh, yeah, sure, tell that to Rowena!

"We will be charged with protecting innocents Harry. I defeated Grindelward, and you have already brought Voldemort to his knees."

Well Rose did really, but who cares? Must I fight? Ryder rolled his eyes as Dumbledore continued to drone on. When he opened them next, it was dark and he must have really fallen asleep. He summoned the golem and left it in the bed, before turning back his time turner and flooing to Durmstrang – through Madam Pomfrey's office – to take his end of year exams.

This pretending to be Harry Potter thing was going to get him killed, Ryder decided as he greeted Highmaster Karkaroff.

_XXX_

"Hello Mr and Mrs. Dursley. I will be here for one day only." Ryder had taken off his 'skin' and his hair was blacker, longer and straighter than it had been all year. His eyes were the colour of the Killing Curse again, rather than the same colour as Lily Evan's eyes, and his lips were fuller and redder while his skin was paler.

He moved up the stairs before the Muggles could get a word in. he lay down on the bed in Dudley's second bedroom and went to sleep.

In the morning, he greeted the Muggles coldly, and made himself toast which he ate in silence.

"I am leaving now." He shrunk his trunk and placed it in his pocket. A knock came at the door, and when Dudley Dursley – Harry's fat Cousin – opened the door, Jarvis the Butler bowed slightly. "You have my number Petunia. Ring me if any owls or letters arrive, or if someone is hanging around outside a lot."

Jarvis led Ryder to the Dodge Viper and opened the door for him. Closing the door behind his young Lord, Jarvis got into the drivers seat and started the car. Ryder slept for the journey home. As far as Draco knew, he was still in the Hospital Wing last night, not at the Muggle relatives of Harry Potter.

He had missed his love, and Draco hadn't even thanked him for the blond's birthday gift yet. He hated not being able to go to Draco's birthday get together – on the 5th June – because he was in Durmstrang at the time. But he and Draco could have a joint party later.

Ryder wriggled back into the leather seat. He was going to go home, relax, see his family, shop, taunt Mudbloods and not hear the name 'Harry bloody Potter' all summer.

Or at least he hoped so. Desperately.

**XXX**

He, he, Draco has a crush on his fiancé and feels guilty for it.

The Weasleys are going to ruin Ryder's Harry-free-summer aren't they?

Please review and I shall try and upload some of Brothers in Arms III next ok! Bye x


	5. Wearing Thin

I just realized… the banner doesn't show up here… go look at my Live Journal if you want to see it.

Here is the next chapter, there is an AN at the bottom that is important. Enjoy, and please review!

**Words: **5,086

**Chapter 5**

**Wearing Thin**

Lucius Malfoy turned over in his sleep and frowned. He knew there was something wrong but his eyes were so heavy he couldn't bring himself to open them. Draco had insisted a party be held the day before which lasted long into the night to celebrate his birthday – with Ryder in attendance – and also combine it with an early party for Ryder, as Rose predicted the dark haired boy would not be around come his own birthday.

If it had just been the children there would have been no problem. Unfortunately, Draco's Hogwarts friends were not the only ones in attendance. Ryder and Rose – as Twins – had invited their friends from Durmstrang, who were all older, as well as the parents of their friends.

And some how, Firewhiskey had been passed around, and Lucius Malfoy had unwittingly drank more than his fair share.

He groaned and blearily peeled his eyelashes away from his cheeks, as he opened his eyes. He gave a pained moan as the little light that was in the room shot straight to his irises and caused his brain to go into sensory overload. He turned over again and pressed his face to the pillow. Beside him, Narcissa gave a small puff of air as his twisting and turning began to disturb her sleep.

He sat up, unhappily, and swung his legs out over the side of the bed. He stretched the back of his neck, his eye narrowing as he began to feel uneasy again. The same sense of wrongness as before had begun to become noticeable to him, now that he was almost awake.

He debated with himself for a brief moment but decided, that as it was only family in the Manor at the time being, it was easier to remain dressed in his pyjamas. He slid his bare feet into a pair of slippers and pulled his hair back with a black ribbon.

As he made his way to the dining room, where a mug of coffee already waited, he felt as if he was being followed. Yet, no one should have been in the Manor, so Lucius paid the feeling little mind.

"Lucssssiusssss," a voice hissed in little more than a whisper.

The man titled his head to one side, trying to determine whether he had actually head anything at all. "Hello?" He asked, feeling foolish.

"Malfoy," the voice whispered again. Feeling something brush against the back of his neck, Lucius spun around, glad he had yet to take a seat at the table, and shot a glare at the empty space behind him.

"Who are you?" He asked, his voice dangerously low. Normally, most people would have been begging for forgiveness at the first syllable in that tone, but whoever this intruder was they were not normal.

"Have you forsssaken your Masssster?" The voice seemed to have taken on an amused undertone.

"My Lord?" Lucius barely dared to breath. His eyes darted frantically around the room, but he had yet to notice anything untoward. Everything seemed to be, or looked as if it was, exactly as it had been the night before.

Before Lucius could say anything or the voice could make another statement, something pecked at the nearest window. Lucius hesitantly let the bird inside. The owl – while unremarkable in looks – was carrying something Lucius instantly recognized. A certain journal he hadn't seen in many, many years; so long, in fact, that he had forgotten it existed, and almost forgotten the orders that came with its first delivery.

Tom Marvolo Riddle's diary from fifty years ago had first been given to Lucius after his initiation ceremony to safeguard. Should anything strange happen to his Lord, Lucius was to find a candidate and give them the journal – no one to important to his Lord's cause, mind you – and when a teenager came to him for refuge, Lucius was to grant it with no questions asked.

However, the idea of following through with a plan that may endanger Draco, or in fact Ryder at present, did not sit comfortably with Lucius Malfoy. And yet, as the voice spoke again, he knew he must do as he had once been told.

"Lucssiusss, you besssst not have forgotten me?" Lucius shuddered; the journal lay unopened in front of him, his coffee had gone cold.

_XXX_

Ryder Hammond was having a wonderful summer so far. Draco had demanded a party on his behalf, although he didn't know why. Rose did, of that he was certain, but she wasn't telling him at any rate. He and Draco had spent a lot of time alone together to make up for the year they had been separated. To Ryder's immense pleasure, Draco had even conceded to allow Ryder to bathe with him.

Ryder Hammond, as a part Vampyre – even if he didn't have the blood lust as Vampyre's did – undoubtedly matured faster than a human, sexually. And the brushing lips and holding hands was wearing thin with him. However, he was loathed to push Draco into anything unwelcome, especially as for most of the year Ryder pretended to be someone his fiancé hated.

Nothing illegal had happened during the bath, that one time. Ryder had closed his eyes and allowed Draco to climb in first, as the boy was sometimes prone to bouts of bashfulness, and then stripped uncaring of Draco's wide grey eyes fixed on every inch of his naked skin all at one time, before he sank slowly beneath the hot water. He pulled Draco to him, and washed him down with a flannel, sparing his love's dignity by allowing Draco to wash his own private parts.

Draco, Ryder thought, was probably trying to make it up to him. It being the fact that Draco Malfoy was most certainly a little obsessed with someone who wasn't his fiancé – Harry Potter to be specific.

Of course, life wasn't all roses. He hadn't received any letters from his friends from Hogwarts – as much as annoying Gryffindor's annoyed him, he had at least expected one letter for his troubles – but that was expected as he wasn't answering to letters addressed to 'Harry Potter'. What was unexpected was that no letters arrived for him at the Dursley's home either, which was slightly hurtful.

Of course, he had no idea, that Lucius Malfoy's house elf was stealing them, in a bid to 'protect' Mr. Potter. Lucius, the poor man, had lost the battle with the memory of Lord Voldemort, and the plan would be commencing as soon as possible. His one hope was that Ryder Hammond would be prepared as Harry Potter to not get hurt as a result. Unfortunately, the Dursley's had yet to find anything strange or freakish around their home so Ryder had no reason to go and meet Dobby the house elf. Even Dobby was fooled by the wards, and was occasionally seen… getting Harry in trouble.

In fact, Harry had just received his first official warning from the Ministry about underage magic. Lucius had been very happy to clear the little misunderstanding up, on Ryder's behalf. Dobby had also dropped a cake on Vernon's potential business clients, wife's head. Not so good.

Now, while that wasn't a 'Harry-Potter-less' summer as Ryder hoped it would be, it was about to get worse. First off, bars had mysteriously appeared on the windows of Dudley's second bedroom, where Harry Potter would be staying, if he had actually been staying in that house, and secondly there were a few Weasley's who had yet to learnt o keep their nose out of other people's business.

Ryder groaned as his phone rang. He and Draco, along with Rose, Atticus, Lucius and surprisingly Severus Snape were in the middle of a three against three night time Quidditch game, while Violet and Narcissa watched disinterestedly when he was interrupted. Rowena had been strangely absent since the start of the summer, but when Ryder answered his phone, she met his eyes using Rose's body.

"Bye then," she grinned.

"You knew?" He mouthed as he listened to the Dursley's complain that there was a flying car outside of their window. "Yes Mr. Dursley, I will deal with it. Go back to bed." He hung up the phone without another word. No one but Rose and Atticus – with Vampyre hearing – had heard the conversation, despite how loudly Vernon was shouting down the phone.

He kissed Draco quickly and said goodbye to everyone else, "I have to go to school for a while, there's a few problems. I'm really sorry." He packed up his things, and with a few twists of his time turner he was headed to the Dursley's. He arrived just in time, to be blamed for throwing a cake at Mrs. Mason's head. How he despised house elves, he growled as he sulked up the stairs to Dudley's second bedroom.

At least he was actually there, when the flying car turned up this time, he supposed.

_XXX_

Knockturn Alley was nothing new to Ryder Hammond, but to Harry Potter it was strictly taboo. With his 'rune skin' perfectly in place, Harry walked quickly around Borgin & Burkes before nothing to very familiar heads of hair bobbing passed the shop front, in the window. Swallowing heavily, and as he would have expected to do, Harry hid. Badly, because his hiding place was one of the first places a very curious Draco Malfoy tried to peek into. Luckily for Harry, Lucius had seen him, and with a smirk Lucius rapped the head of his snake cane against the sarcophagus, closing the lid completely, trapping Harry inside and keeping Draco out.

As they left the shop, Lucius turned to stare at the sarcophagus his eyes meeting Harry's through the cut outs in the metal artwork. Harry swallowed; Lucius looked uncharacteristically emotional which didn't bode well for his school year. His school year: he had completely forgotten, he was due to take his NEWTs at the end of this year. He prayed he wouldn't end up in the Infirmary, just this once. He couldn't miss these exams.

Remembering the fear that flashed briefly through Lucius' eyes, Harry determined to keep himself out of as much trouble as possible this year. For his own benefit of course, and the sanity of the people who care for him, Lucius included.

He removed the 'skin' quickly and took the opportunity to look around. He had previously enjoyed brief trips to this particular establishment. He found a few books he wouldn't mind buying, but before he even considered picking them up he made sure he had his chequebook under the name 'Hammond' on his person first. It wouldn't do to buy Dark Arts material using Potter money.

Two of the four books were either in Parseltongue or about the language. Ryder had been awestruck when it finally dawned on him some years ago that not everyone spoke the language. Rose did obviously, as she was an Heir of Slytherin. Violet didn't, which wasn't unusual because woman rarely inherited the Parseltongue gift – Rose only did because of the extra magical strength Rowena afforded her. Voldemort spoke the language, as did Ryder himself. Ever since that moment, he was determined to find out as much about Parseltongue as possible. Draco had rather hoped to be able to learn, and Ryder wanted to be the one to teach him.

The other two books were in Arabic and were about soul mates, and soul-related gifts such as empathy or Aura reading. Ryder was rather glad that Durmstrang allowed the students to be charmed to understand languages, as well as charming the overall building. It made reading in foreign languages so much easier: Ryder could learn the languages he supposed, but reading while under the charm was easier because once he had read in the language or spoke in it as well he was automatically fluent. He and Rose had been granted explicit permission by the Ministry of Bulgaria to have the charm placed on them, on the basis that they were British and no one else at Durmstrang spoke English.

He paid quickly, and when Mr. Borgin was out of the main part of the shop, Ryder replaced the 'skin' over himself and left the shop, his new books hidden away.

He was instantly set upon by a hag who demanded he buy some of her toenails. Then a vampire, who ran off when Ryder the Vampyre gave a small growl, cornered him. He vocal range however didn't perturb the rest of the vultures surrounding the famous Harry Potter who was lost in Knockturn Alley – well, not lost per se, but they didn't know that.

"'Arry, what are ye doin' here?" Harry tried not to groan too loudly. He did not have the patience to deal with a family of Weasley's and Rubeus Hagrid all in one day.

"I got lost Hagrid. I think I said the wrong thing in the fireplace and I just ended up here." He hoped he sounded scared enough.

"Ye shouldn't be here, 'Arry. Its not a place for a Wizard like ye." Harry rolled his eyes, but dutifully allowed Hagrid to lead him to Mrs. Weasley and her limpet like daughter Ginny.

Ginny Weasley, who would be starting her first year unfortunately, blushed fiery red when Harry glared at her – mistaking the glare for a stare of interest – and ducked her head. She did, however, make sure to walk closer to him than before. Harry almost hit his head off the wall. He was so happy; he had a stalker! That was something to write home about at least, Ryder thought with a laugh.

"Famous Harry Potter," came a familiar drawling voice a long while later as they battled their way through Flourish & Blotts, "can't even go into a book shop without making the front page." Draco Malfoy seemed to glide down the staircase he had been standing on, and stopped directly in front of the group of children. Harry met his gaze, and Draco's cheeks tinted a faint pink.

"Leave him alone, Malfoy!" Ginny hissed, sounding slightly scary if it wasn't for the fact her nose was smudged with dirt, her hair was mussed, and she was clinging to the hem of Harry's robe in fear.

Draco noticed where her hands were, and feeling strangely possessive of a boy he proclaimed to hate, he stared straight at her and hissed, "Got yourself a girlfriend, eh Potter?" He hated the way his stomach clenched even as he said the words. He didn't want anything to do with Potter, he tried to remind himself, he had Ryder and he loved Ryder, he knew he did. He didn't want Potter!

So why did it hurt that Potter hadn't made the youngest Weasley let go of him?

Harry just looked straight at Draco, unblinking. He seemed to notice what no one else around him did, and that was the jealously and pain that flashed through Draco's silver eyes. He moved away from Ginny, as far as he could without seeming rude, and gave Draco the barest of smiles. He opened his mouth but Lucius Malfoy beat him to it.

"Now, now, Draco, play nice," the man drawled in a voice scarily similar to the one Draco used previously. "Ah, Mr. Potter, it is delightful to meet you." Lucius said silkily holding his hand out to Harry.

Playing along, Harry shook the elder blond's hand. Lucius didn't let go of the hand after they shook; instead he tightened his grip and pulled Harry closer to him. Using the snake that sat on top of the cane he held, he brushed Harry's fringe aside and stared at the lightening bolt scar, Lucius had seen many times before already. "Your scar is legendary," he paused as Harry glared defiantly up at him; Ryder's eyes were sparkling in amusement even if Harry appeared to look annoyed. Taking the game up a notch, Lucius breathed, "as is the one gave it to you."

Harry jerked himself away in self-righteous anger, trying not to laugh. "Voldemort killed my parents." He glared at Lucius.

"You say his name?" Lucius, himself, had yet to dare. "You are either very brave or incredibly foolish." And when he said it, he meant it, and Ryder knew that and backed down.

"Fear of the name only increases fear of the thing itself," Hermione Granger said pompously from behind Mrs. Weasley. Lucius spent a few moments degrading her and her parents before turning on the Weasleys.

"Red hair, vacant expressions, tatty second hand books," he lifted a book out of Ginny's cauldron, sneered at it and dropped it back in. "You must be the Weasley's." Arthur came over when he noticed Lucius near his children and wife. "Ah, Weasley Sr." He gave what may have passed as a smile between enemies, but was actually Lucius' concealed sneer of hatred and disgust.

While no one had paid much mind to him picking up the Weasley girl's book, they really hadn't noticed him add one more book to her collection. A small, black journal with the initials 'TMR' in gold on the bottom corner had been added to her cauldron, carefully hidden inside one of her 'tatty second hand books'. Lucius frowned. He did feel slightly guilty, especially since his Son and Ryder would be in danger: he trusted his Son to stay out of harms way, and Harry Potter, he trusted, would still have an unhealthy amount of luck to last him through the year.

Ginny Weasley, though, Lucius knew was as good as dead.

He could still remember the voice asking, as it haunted his dreams every night until he decided on a person to gift the journal to, "have you forsssaken your Massster?" He left the bookshop with his shoulders unnaturally straight and Draco at his side, looking worried.

_XXX_

This year was pathetic, Ryder decided on his way back from Nearly Headless Nick's Deathday Party. He missed the train, and nearly got expelled. Ginny Weasley was stalking him. He was killing himself trying to study for his NEWTs and stick to Hermione's 2nd Year schedule as well. Gilderoy Lockhart was on his 'to kill' list, right at the top, above even Dumbledore. And he officially hated the food dead people ate.

"What the-?" Ron hissed, stopping dead in the abandoned corridor. Harry and Hermione stopped as well.

In front of them, was a large puddle of water, leaking from under the door to Moaning Myrtle's Bathroom. Above the puddle, was Mrs. Norris the cat, hanging by her tail to a light fixture.

"Bugger," Harry cursed, decided he was adding 'dead cats' to his list of reason why he hated this year.

"Oh my," Hermione breathed as she turned to face the wall running along the length of the spreading puddle. Harry looked, and then wished he hadn't.

A group of students were crowding around the now, Draco Malfoy at the forefront. Harry was, for once, not pleased to see him. "The Chamber of Secrets has been opened. Enemies of the Heir, beware." The blond looked maliciously at Hermione. Harry didn't particularly mind; he wasn't all that fond of over bearing Mudbloods either, but he had to pretend, so he glared at Draco along with Ron. "You'll be next Mudbloods," he hissed.

"My cat, you killed MY CAT!" Filch, the caretaker screamed running over to shake Harry by the neck of his robes.

Ryder sighed and wished he could kill the man. He really didn't like how this year was wearing his patience thin, so far.

_XXX_

Ryder had to admit that sometimes his young love was a bit of a blond idiot. He stared impassively at the snake in front of him, as the rest of the Duelling Club attendees looked on in fear. Snape looked smug as he strutted forward, his wand out.

"Don't move Potter, I'll take care of it." Harry just glared at him.

The cobra turned, hood flared out, and hissed in Snape's direction. Draco actually lost the grin he was sporting and now he had begun to look worried. Snape didn't seem perturbed. Lockhart of course was his usual idiotic self and insisted he could take care of the problem.

Rather than vanish the snake – who to be honest hadn't done anything wrong – he sent her flying ten feet in the air, landing with a dull thump, which must have hurt. She hissed angrily and turned to Lockhart only to be distracted by a rather tasty looking Justin Finch-Fletchley. He Hufflepuff nearly pissed himself with fear.

Even Snape looked worried when Harry moved forward, unbothered by the stares he received, as he began to hiss at the cobra.

"**Please don't attack him, the child did you no harm. The blond man is an idiot, while I wish you could eat him, it would be improper. Come to me, beautiful snake, come away from the child.**" Harry coaxed. The cobra turned towards him and with a contented hiss attempted to wind around Harry's leg, but Snape's banishing spell reached her first. Harry really, really hated Severus Snape.

_XXX_

Ryder had to leave school again to attend Durmstrang. He had been unable to leave the golem to drink Polyjuice Potion over Christmas, as it wouldn't have transformed, so he would have to go further back now. With a grimace, he twisted the knob on the time turner and prepared himself to start a school year all over again.

Wearing thin, had long ago, lost all sense of meaning to Ryder Hammond. Now, it was more like his motto.

_XXX_

The Chamber of Secrets wasn't what Ryder was expecting at all. Sure he hadn't actually spoken to Salazar, nor had Rowena ever had a look inside, but Ryder had expected – well – a lot more pomp than he found.

The place was bare, stone walls that were wet with damp and mould, the floor was practically a lake in some places, and the snakes that were sticking out of the wall along the corridor to the main Chamber looked more like bad attempts to install plumping than they did decorations.

Ryder ran a hand over his face; he didn't see the point in wearing his 'skin' at the time. From what Rowena mention to him about a journal and Riddle when he had the chance to talk to her in Durmstrang he knew he was going to need as much energy as possible without wasting it maintaining rune spells.

He had no need for secrecy; Lockhart and Ron Weasley were trapped behind a large cave in, and couldn't see him anyway by now. Tom Riddle's memory was, to Rowena's upset, never leaving the Chamber intact. It was not time yet, Rowena knew, and she also knew that Riddle was not her mate, only a part of him. In time, Rowena and Salazar would be reunited, but until such time came about, Harry Potter had a part to play – which included occasionally defeating Lord Voldemort.

When he caught sight of Ginny's unconscious form, his first thought was whether Ron would mind if he left her there. His second was that he should run to her, because Tom Riddle would obviously expect him to be the chivalrous hero he was pretending to be.

He made a show of trying to wake her, and when Riddle appeared behind him, he tried to get him to run because there was a Basilisk around. Tom already knew that of course. "It won't come until it's called." He had smiled then.

Of course, then Tom called the Basilisk and Ryder was forced to kill it. Typical of Dumbledore help didn't arrive till it was too late, and the fang of the Basilisk had already pierced his arm. Fortunately, Rowena was rather paranoid and Ryder carried a few vials of cure-all potions on him, everywhere. When he wasn't in danger of dying, and Fawkes the Phoenix couldn't hear what was said, he looked at Tom Riddle.

Ryder took a gamble. "Can she hear us?" He nodded towards Ginny.

"No," Tom tilted his head to one side, looking Ryder over suspiciously. "Why?" He still had Harry's wand, Ryder noticed. But it didn't matter as Ryder had to wand he used in Durmstrang on him at all times as well.

"Here's the deal. You have to go back in your journal because Voldemort isn't suppose to come back yet because you'll ruin Rowena's plans." Ryder walked to Ginny and picked up the black, slightly worn looking, journal. "There you go, go back in," he handed it to Tom who began to laugh.

"Why would I do that?" He asked incredulously.

"Seriously, I just explained." Ryder whined. "This year is turning out to be really shitty, and I know Lucius had something to do with you being here so when I next see him I'm going to shout at him." Tom just smirked. "And your mate is too young to mate with Voldemort – the real one, not you – so you need to go away until she's old enough."

That got Tom Riddle's full attention.

If you remember, all Tom ever wanted was someone to love him, and that was what Salazar Slytherin had promised him. But because of Dumbledore, Rowena had not been hosted during Tom's time period, and so he had slipped into the insanity that was Lord Voldemort. Now though, Rowena was alive and well within 12-year-old Rose Hammond, who was undoubtedly too young for the 60-something year old Dark Wizard. Rowena had killed Voldemort to save him from the madness he allowed himself to become lost in, as well as to give Rose time to age while he remained a spirit.

The more time he was 'dead' the more he would de-age. By the time he came to life again, Rowena hoped the age difference wouldn't be too outrageous. She at least hoped Rose was of age: but then when did anything go as planned?

"My mate?" Tom asked, his voice tightly controlled but none the less Ryder felt the anger and fear Riddle was trying to hide. Before the other, younger, boy could move Tom had grabbed him by the scruff of his robes and dragged him forward.

Their bodies were pressed tight against each other, and Tom sniffed at Ryder's neck. "You smell almost like my mate."

"I'm not though," Ryder said almost apologetically.

Tom threw Ryder to the floor, "no, you are not." He growled, "Where is my mate?"

"She is my Sister and she is safe." Ryder stood and brushed himself down. "And if you would go back into the journal and stay out of the way until it's time, Rowena will give you your mate." Tom eyed the diary warily.

"And I'll get my mate?" He asked even as he reached a hand out for the journal.

"Yes," Ryder felt almost sorry for the Dark Lord. He tried to imagine how he'd react if Dumbledore tried to take Draco from him. Yeah, Ryder mused, he'd probably kill a bunch of people too.

"You need to destroy the journal." Ryder took the fang that he had placed in his pocket and stabbed the journal once with it. A gush of black ink pooled around the small hole, and began to flow quicker as Ryder wiggled the fang widening the gash. "I'll have my mate soon?" Tom asked, sounding pathetically desperate, as a large lightening bolt shaped white line appeared on his chest.

Light burst from the line as Ryder stabbed the journal again. Slowly Tom Riddle began to fade away, but the hopeful almost pleading look on his face stayed with Ryder. "Yes," he promised as Tom disappeared completely, "soon."

He kind of knew how Riddle felt, he supposed. The first thing he was going to do when he got to Lestrange Manor, was find Draco and hug him till he turned blue in the face.

_XXX_

The same day the journal was destroyed, Lucius Malfoy stopped having nightmares about the morning the journal reappeared in his possession, after he spent so long trying to get rid of it.

Also, in the forest surrounding Riddle Manor, where Lord Voldemort's spirit was currently hiding out, a Tom Riddle shaped piece of soul appeared in the middle of a clearing and slowly, Tom began to make his way towards Voldemort.

When Tom touched Voldemort's hand, the elder apparition flinched back in anger, not wanting to rejoin with a separate piece of his soul.

"We can have our mate soon," Tom whispered as he grabbed hold of Voldemort's arm, and forced their beings to merge together.

As Tom disappeared, Voldemort blinked his ghostly eyes, and deep within his mind, Salazar Slytherin stirred for the first time in 50 years, desperate to leave the prison Voldemort had contained him in.

Neither could wait to find their soul mates.

_XXX_

"So, how did your NEWTs go?" Violet asked when Ryder entered the parlour and gratefully sank down into an empty chair.

"I won't know until August Mother, you know that." Ryder sighed and closed his eyes.

"How do you think you did then?" She asked.

Ryder sat up and frowned at her, "considering I was unconscious for one of them, and will probably lose marks for having to reschedule, and I didn't really have much time to study with the Chamber being opened and everything… I'm screwed aren't I?" He whined slumping back into his chair as Atticus and Rose entered the room.

"I'm sure you did fine darling," Violet smiled and turned to Rose, "I'm sure you both did." The 12-year-old girl beamed, and her Brother wished he had never heard the word 'Hogwarts'.

"Just one summer of peace is all I'm asking for dear gods and goddesses," he stared imploringly at the ceiling. "Just one summer." Atticus coughed nervously and Ryder turned to face his adoptive Father. "What?" He asked, not sure he really wanted to know.

"Sirius Black had escaped from Azkaban." Ryder gave him a 'so-what' look. "And he's looking for you. You're going to have to spend the summer with the Dursley's encase they post a team of Aurors." The Aurors of course would be bound to know there wasn't really a Wizard living there. And when Ryder asked why they couldn't send the golem… apparently Sirius Black's animagus form had a very good sense of smell.

He growled, and stormed out of the room as he went to pack. This whole split-personality thing, he decided, was really wearing thin now!

**XXX**

Well there's that chapter done, a day earlier than I expected it to.

My mum doesn't seem to be sticking to my computer ban, but I have decided that I won't be updating as often anyway:

encase I push her too far and she really does ban me, until June.

and because I did really badly in my mock exams because I decided updating was more important than revising, and I don't feel like repeating High school so I need to do revision this time around. I only have 7 school weeks left or something apparently.

I of course, will still update as regularly as I can, but I won't be starting any new WIPs and the chapters won't be once weekly (as I'm split between 3 now) with less time. Sorry.

Please review, thanks for reading though, and yeah, they are getting older! XD


	6. Convict

EDIT: I removed the tags from the wrong word.doc sorry. I have edited them away now.

Here is chapter 6… earlier than I originally planned.

I am dead; I only got 200 out of a maximum of 600 points in the mocks. I need at least 400 to get into the college I want! I hope I do better on the real exams!

**Words: **6,260

**Chapter 6**

**Convict**

Sirius Black crouched down behind the rose bush outside Number 4, Privet Drive. He'd been resting on his haunches for the past twenty minutes trying to catch a glimpse of his Godson, Harry Potter. Unfortunately for him, Harry didn't actually live at Number 4. He groaned as his leg gave a spasm. He was stiff, and cramped all over from kneeling in the same spot for twenty never-ending minutes. He craned his neck, trying to look over the top of the bush.

Beaming, he caught his first glimpse of Harry since the boy was a baby – minus that picture in the Daily Prophet, the same issue he'd seen Wormtail in; but that wasn't actually Harry in the picture, it was the golem, but Sirius didn't know that.

Sirius frowned as Harry bent down and began weeding. A tall, gangly looking woman with an abnormally long neck followed the teen out of the house and picked up the watering hose. With a smirk, she aimed the hose at Harry and turned it on. The boy spluttered and shivered, and Sirius growled in anger.

Of course, it wasn't really Harry that Petunia was watering. She was watering her bushes; heather, holly, she had some foreign grasses, and of course her rose bush. The wards made Sirius see Harry in place of one of the bushes; and wouldn't Dumbledore be happy to know that Harry wasn't being treated very nicely?

Sirius placed his hands flat on the ground and began to move forward slowly, his belly practically touching the ground. He was alongside Harry now, but the boy didn't seem to notice anything funny. Petunia did though, and gave a sniff; her face was screwed up in disgust as she smelt Sirius (who hadn't washed for a long while now). She shifted to the left, which suited Sirius fine, because now he was closer to Harry. He reached out a hand and brushed against the boy's ankle. He drew it back with a low gasp. Harry felt strange and he was as thin as a twin. That was probably because Sirius had grabbed a bare branch and not a leg, but oh well.

He tilted his head forward, trying to catch the direction of the wind and he sniffed. His nostrils flared, but the only scent he picked up was Petunia's, his own and various flowers. It was as if Harry wasn't even there.

Petunia's eyes widened as she noticed a man in her bushes. Of course, that freaky dark haired girl had been here a few weeks ago and warned her about Sirius Black being one of 'them'. Petunia was supposed to ring the freak boy's phone number if she saw Black. Which she most definitely did.

With an agonized groan, she turned the water hose on the rose bush… and thoroughly drenched Sirius Black. He gave a whimper, and as he jumped up to run his body shifted and he turned into a large black dog, commonly referred to as a Grim throughout Wizarding society. Petunia carried on spraying water in the running mutt's direction, until he was out of sight. Then she kept up watering her garden until she was completely satisfied… and then she rang the boy's number.

_XXX_

Atticus had answered the phone. Ryder was at the Malfoy's home, not that Petunia cared but Atticus had informed her of that fact nonetheless.

"How is your Husband? And your Son?" He asked cordially.

She sniffed, in an offended sort of manner, and replied stiffly, "fine."

"My family are well also. I hope Mr. Black didn't give you any trouble?" He sounded patronizing, and Petunia was tempted to hang up the phone. But then it occurred to her that Black might come back, but these freaks would send Potter, but Black might come back… She sighed.

"He was spying on us. I demand you make him leave!"

"He won't leave until he sees Mr. Potter. Ryder will be there as soon as. He may have to stay for the summer; it won't be easy to take him back with Black hanging around." Atticus smirked down the phone, as if he could sense her brewing horror.

"But we don't want the freak all summer! He only ever stayed a day or two before!"

"Mr. Potter is not preferable to a Muggle murdering psychopath? Mr dearest Petunia, you need to sort your priorities." He laughed and she fumed.

"Fine, send the brat. But don't expect us to be happy." She snarled and pressed the 'end call' button before slamming her phone down on the table.

Atticus Rochairt chuckled to himself as he went in search of his wife. He found her in the parlour, curled up on the couch with a book open and propped against her lap. She smiled up at him in that way of hers that screamed 'I know what you're going to say' and closed her book.

"Draconais will not be pleased." She giggled. The idea of those two boys together never stopped pleasing her.

"Nor will Ryder, but this particular fallacy is integral to the overall charade." Atticus frowned. "If Black was on our side, along with Malfoy we would be in a much better position. Narcissa is a Black, as is the wife of my Cousin. So they would have to abide us, as per the familial agreements." He smiled, "Dumbledore would have no chance to hurt Ryder, not with all of us against him."

The familial agreements were inter-family unwritten laws. Most Purebloods follow them religiously. Take the Black family for example; when Regulus Black became a Death Eater, Sirius was willing to join as well in order to protect his baby Brother, to protect his family. However, when Sirius was sorted into Gryffindor, his family were allowed to turn on him and bully him in private, but they were sworn to protect their family member from any other Slytherins who taunted him.

If Sirius took Ryder's side, then Bellatrix and Narcissa would have to as well publicly at least, even after they found out he was Harry Potter. Through Bellatrix, so would Rabastian and Rudolphus Lestrange, his estranged Cousins – in Voldemort's Inner Circle, which would come in handy keeping Ryder safe from the Dark Lord. Through Narcissa, would come Lucius Malfoy who had already taken their side, and would help further strengthen the Black ties.

Atticus sighed, Pureblood family matters truly was a taxing affair.

"We should tell him soon," Violet smiled, and gracefully stood up from the couch.

"Come then, we shall floo." Violet took his outstretched hand and together they headed to the main anti-chamber. Each threw a handful of floo powder into the fireplace, and cast 'Incendio' before stepping into the green flames and disappearing to "Malfoy Manor".

"Ah Atticus, my friend," Lucius greeted as he poked his head suspiciously around the open door. "I was wondering who would floo in at such short notice." He lowered his wand, and tucked it away into his pocket.

"I apologize for intruding without notice. I must speak with Ryder, if I may?" Atticus dipped his head slightly in means of apology and Lucius nodded back, accepting.

"Of course, follow me. Ah Violet," he greeted her when she stepped from the floo – having arrived after her Husband – and kissed her right hand, "good to see you. It must be important, this talk with Ryder then?"

"I'm afraid so. He has to leave for a while, Lucius."

The blond frowned, "Draco will be despondent." He groaned. Violet let out a small laugh as the trio made their way to Draco's bedroom where the boys were amusing themselves.

Draco looked up from his book as the door to his room opened. Ryder lay on his back vertically along the bed, his head in Draco's lap, as Draco leant against the headboard. Ryder's book was closed and lay on his stomach; his hands were better occupied running over Draco's thighs than turning pages. The blond flushed lightly as his Father raised an eyebrow at Ryder's actions. The brunette smirked and sat up.

"Mother, Father, Mr. Malfoy; a pleasure to see you all here. Is something the matter?" He grinned cheekily; his hand was still on Draco's thigh indecently close to his crotch.

"Come home Ryder. We need to speak with you." The boy groaned.

Turning to face his fiancé he smiled softly, "I'll see you soon ok? Try not to fall in love with Potter while I'm not around." He grinned and ducked as Draco smacked him with his book, while scowling. "Love you," he whispered as he followed his parents from the room.

Lucius frowned at the comment; he knew Ryder was really Harry, but Draco didn't. He also knew that Draco was attracted to Harry because Harry reminded Draco of Ryder on a subconscious level – for reasons Draco didn't comprehend. The sooner the rouse was over with, Lucius thought, the better.

_XXX_

Ryder headed to the parlour where Sufi the house elf had insisted his parents were already waiting. He closed the door behind him and turned to face his Mother who had already started speaking. "So, how did your NEWTs go?" Violet asked when Ryder entered the parlour and gratefully sank down into an empty chair.

"I won't know until August Mother, you know that." Ryder sighed and closed his eyes. This couldn't have been why they interrupted him and Draco? He didn't get enough time with Draco as it was!

"How do you think you did then?" She asked.

Ryder sat up and frowned at her, "considering I was unconscious for one of them, and will probably lose marks for having to reschedule, and I didn't really have much time to study with the Chamber being opened and everything… I'm screwed aren't I?" He whined slumping back into his chair as Atticus and Rose entered the room.

"I'm sure you did fine darling," Violet smiled and turned to Rose, "I'm sure you both did." The 12-year-old girl beamed, and her Brother wished he had never heard the word 'Hogwarts'.

"Just one summer of peace is all I'm asking for dear gods and goddesses," he stared imploringly at the ceiling. "Just one summer." Atticus coughed nervously and Ryder turned to face his adoptive Father. "What?" He asked, not sure he really wanted to know.

"Sirius Black has escaped from Azkaban." Ryder gave him a 'so-what' look. "And he's looking for you. You're going to have to spend the summer with the Dursley's encase they post a team of Aurors."

"Why me? What's wrong with the golem?"

"Black is an animagus, Ryder, his sense of smell is heightened. He will know you aren't truly there."

Ryder groaned. With a growl, he stood and stormed out of the room as he went to pack.

He stomped back into the parlour moments later, a trunk floating beside him and Hedwig his snowy owl perched on his shoulder. "So what is so important about Sirius Black?"

"Sit down dearest," Rowena said softly, as Rose handed her body over to the elder spirit without a fight. Ryder slumped into a chair, groaning in annoyance. He knew he was in for a history lesson now, or something of the equivalent. The time they were wasting now would have been better spent with Draco, Ryder thought with a sulk. "Sirius Black was the Secret Keeper for your old Parents, Ryder. When they went under the Fidelus Charm, Black was supposed to keep their Secret and protect them. At the last moment, James Potter and Black decided to switch to Peter Pettigrew; Dumbledore I'm certain already knows this. When the Secret was told to Voldemort, your old Parents were killed."

Ryder was hanging off the edge of his seat; it wasn't as dull a conversation as he had feared. "Black went on a rampage when Dumbledore suggested Pettrigrew told; I was there, I heard. He was accused of slaughtering Pettigrew and blowing up twelve Muggles before laughing and apparating away. He then tried to take you from Rubeus Hagrid, who would not hand you over; unfortunately."

"Accused? You mean he didn't do it?" Ryder hadn't really cared much – or enough to ask – about his old Parents, nor the circumstances surrounding their deaths. This was really the only other conversation he had had about them, that didn't include the initial adoption explanation.

"No, he didn't. Pettigrew cut off his little finger and fled in his animagus form, that of a rat. Black was sentenced to life in Azkaban without trial." Rowena smiled sadly.

"So why am I worried about him?"

"You and I know he is innocent, but the Aurors do not. And they will strive to protect their Harry Potter. If you are not there Ryder, there will be trouble and your Father could very well occupy a cell right beside the recaptured Black, if Dumbledore finds out about our living arrangements. Not to mention what he'll do to Rose as he tries to get to me." Ryder swallowed heavily.

"I don't want any of you to be hurt." He said vehemently.

"I know, love," she stood and moved towards him, drawing him into a hug. "And that is why we lie and why we wear masks to hide out true intent. We do so to keep our loved ones safe."

"False face must hide what the false heart doth know?" He quoted with a grin.

"Not quite Ryder. Unlike tragic Macbeth we do not plan the murder of Dumbledore; just his utter ruination." Atticus smirked evilly. Sometimes that smirk was referred to as the 'grin of the man who knew your home was on fire and your wife and children were burning alive at this very moment'. Of course there was also his grin that said all of that along with 'and he set fire to your house' at the end. The second was the grin he gave when Rowena spoke.

"You may not, but I intend to bathe in his golden blood." She smirked and Ryder laughed as he caught the quote.

"Back to the topic at hand then," Ryder interrupted. "He set up Black, and now Black is back and trying to see me? How should I act?"

"If anyone can see you, act clueless. The Muggles would not have told you anything so act as if you know nothing more than what Dumbledore or those infernal Weasley's may have let slip. When alone, you may behave as you wish." Violet hugged her Son and left the room. Atticus followed her, tapping the watch at his wrist while staring meaningfully at Ryder.

"I suppose I should get going?" Rowena nodded and left. Rose smiled up at her younger Brother – who was slightly taller than her – and pressed a kiss to his cheek, before she too left the room. All alone, Ryder for one brief moment wondered what it would have been like had Rose never have come for him as a child. He shuddered at the thought of living with the Dursley's all the time, and thought no more on it.

_XXX_

"Now you listen here boy," Vernon Dursley growled the moment Ryder walked through the door, with his 'skin' in place. "My sister, Marjory, is coming to visit and she doesn't like you or know about your kind so you will be on your best behaviour!" He snarled. "Is that understood?"

Ryder raised one eyebrow and resisted the urge to laugh. Didn't the Muggle realize that he was a fully qualified Wizard now that he had completed his NEWTs? He raised his Durmstrang wand – which the British Ministry couldn't trace – and pointed it at the fat Muggle's nose. "I think you are the one who does not understand." He grinned at the shudder Vernon produced.

His wand was a beauty. It was 12-inches and made of blood oak that had been lacquered to give a slightly red sheen, with a polished handle of onyx. The lacquer had been set in a specific pattern, made to look as if it were a vine swirling around the wand from handle base to wand tip; it even had miniscule red leaves growing from the main vine. A ruby had been embedded in the very end of the handle to serve as a focus stone as Ryder's wand only had one core. The core was, unsurprisingly, blood; a sample of blood had been taken from a Master Vampyre – rumoured to be from Count Dracula himself, Ryder's Grandfather – and crystallized before being absorbed into the blood oak wand.

"Very well boy," Vernon stuttered moving out of Ryder's way. Ryder began to walk up the stairs, his trunk floating behind him. "But… I'm warning you!" He stopped when Ryder turned his head to glare at him. With an eyebrow raised, the teenager carried on ascending the staircase as Dursley floundered at its base, a silencing charm firmly in place.

_XXX_

This wasn't good, Ryder thought, or maybe it was. No it wasn't! He was dead meat. Rowena would kill him, he sighed.

His 'Aunt' Marge had majorly pissed him off. She kept making under handed comments about his kind and his parents (the Potter's) and it did grate on ones nerves after a while. In the end, he had stomached as much as he could. He admitted he made a bad move but at least the officials were bound to pass it off as accidental magic; provided he hid his blood oak wand well enough.

'Aunt' Marge had swelled up like a balloon thanks to a nifty enlargement charm Atticus had taught him to combine with a wind summoning spell; nice, quick way to inflate a balloon… or an annoying Muggle.

Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Rowena couldn't say it was obvious; Dumbledore would over look it if the officials did. Maybe it was a good thing? He was out of that house before he killed any one, and it's not like he was in real danger anyway! Not from Black at any rate.

The Knight bus may have killed him sure, but at least Black got a proper look at him first – from beneath another bush in his Grim form – and was marginally satisfied for the time being. And he was free for the rest of the summer.

He knew he couldn't go home, nor was he willing to go back to the Dursley's. So he headed to the next best place; Diagon Alley. He could stay at the tavern for a while, Fudge would find him eventually, he knew, and they would all stop searching for him and would leave him alone.

"This is your stop Mr. Longbottom," Ernie the ticket inspector called. It took Ryder a few seconds for his brain to kick in, and remember that was the name he had falsely given. He stood and got off of the Knight bus.

With a smile he entered the Leaky Cauldron. Home sweet home, he thought as he approached Thom the barman. This was his home for the next two months.

_XXX_

It was August at last. Anxious tapping at his window woke Ryder. He had run into the Weasley family – who were back from Egypt now – in July and they had been unhesitant in inviting him to spend the rest of the holidays at their home. He had accepted rather than be left alone in Diagon for another month and a half. It got rather boring after the first month, Ryder knew from experience.

He quietly got out of the small bed that was pushed beside a second bed, in which Ron slept, that was cramped in a small room that belonged to Ron. The owl was silent once the window was opened and Ryder gratefully took the letter from the owl's beak. He conjured a mouse and let the owl feed before shooing it out of the window and climbing back into bed.

By the light of his blood oak wand Ryder inspected his letter. It was yellow parchment with his name written in green ink across the front. On the back was the wax seal, with the Durmstrang seal forced onto its surface. Ryder cracked the seal while holding his breath.

_To Mr. Ryder Hammond,_

_I am pleased to inform you that you have graduated from Durmstrang Institute with honours. I am aggrieved to notice you did not attend the graduation ceremony, nor I am informed do you have any inclination to return for the celebration before the following year starts. Must it to do with your family business that takes you from us so often? Not that I am prying, you understand. _

_Nonetheless, I give you, your results. I am exceedingly pleased. You are a credit to our Institution and all others and I, here, on premises will be sorely lacking of your company. _

_Dark Arts – O+_

_Defence Against the Dark Arts – O_

_Charms – E_

_Transfiguration – E_

_Healing – O_

_Ancient Runes – O_

_Arithmancy – O_

_Animagus Training – T (theory) – O+ (practical) – A (overall) _

_You received a 'troll' for your Animagus exam, as you were absent without notice. As you have already obtained an animagus form your Training grade has been raised to an 'acceptable'. It is my sincerest apology that I was unable to reschedule that examination for you. If you would have only told me why you were not available things might have been different, but again I do not mean to pry. _

_I am most thoroughly pleased by bother you and your Sister's results. I wish you luck in your future. _

_Sincerely, Highmaster Igor Karkaroff. _

As he and Rose were the only two students attending Durmstrang that lived outside of the Eastern Countries, the Highmaster always wrote to them personally because they were not registered with the Bulgarian Ministry. Also because they weren't registered, Karkaroff had no reason to tell the Ministry about their animagus forms or the fact that Ryder had two wands; nor was he likely to tell the British Ministry for that matter.

He folded the parchment up and handed it to Hedwig, his own snowy owl. With a finger to his lips he opened the window and the owl silently flew towards Wiltshire, and Lestrange Manor.

His parents should be pleased, he thought, he got better results than he expected.

_XXX_

Draco grinned smugly as he petted the neck of the Hippogriff Harry Potter had ridden on. He was rather pleased that the same Hippogriff had bowed to him as well as Potter, but he wasn't telling anyone that. He was happy also that he could prove that Potter wasn't all that!

Buckbeak, the Hippogriff, only bowed to Draco – unknown to him – because he was the mate of the young two legged one the giant one was fond of. Harry, being Ryder who was Draco's fiancé, automatically made it possible for creatures to tolerate the snooty blond teenager.

Of course then Draco had to open his big mouth and wear Buckbeak's patience completely thin.

"…You big brute," was all Ryder heard followed by a shriek as the Hippogriff reared up on its back legs and slashed its front legs forward towards Draco.

The blond boy could only raise an arm up to protect himself. Ryder could do a lot more. With a casual flick of his hand, that looked to anyone watching as it he were putting his hand in his pocket, Ryder cast a wandless and wordless spell that undoubtedly saved Draco Malfoy's life.

The spell in questions was 'accio' but Ryder only put enough power into the spell to take Draco out from under the Hippogriff – it wouldn't do to have Draco fly back into him either.

Ron elbowed him, jeering the terrified blond, and Ryder let the spell go too soon. Buckbeak caught Draco's arm, and everyone but Ron shuddered at the resounding crack. Draco, himself, screamed in pain and fear. He had never been very fond of Hippogriff's to begin with, and this incident certainly didn't help.

Hagrid had picked the boy up and carried him towards the Infirmary, all the while Draco moaned about suing the School. Harry potter could only watch as his fiancé was carried away, unable to follow after him like their friends did.

That night, Draco was kept in the Infirmary for observation. Madame Pomfrey wasn't as curt as she appeared to be towards the boy; she just disliked how he milked certain situations for pity. But then, who could compete against Harry Potter? And Poppy Pomfrey had a sneaky suspicion that Draco Malfoy was vying for Harry's attention, in a romantic sense it would seem.

Also that night, Harry Potter was sneaking out of the Gryffindor Tower and making his way hidden by an invisibility cloak towards the Infirmary.

Harry leant over Draco's bed and removed his 'skin'. Ryder frowned and pulled back the blankets that hid most of his love from view. His arm was already swathed in rivers of white gauze. Draco gave a pained gasp as he turned in his sleep and disrupted the sore arm.

The blond tensed slightly. He lowered the shields his Godfather, Severus Snape, had taught him to erect and allowed his empathic ability to flourish for the moment. He knew there was someone in the room, even with his eyes closed, and he knew they were close. He wasn't too worried however, because the feelings he was picking up weren't dangerous to him.

The person was sad, scared, slightly angry but not enough to cause Draco concern, and they were relieved as well.

He slowly opened his eyes; his magic had begun to recognize the magic of the person beside him. Before his eyes had even adjusted to the dark room he called, "Ryder?"

"I'm here love. I came as soon as I could."

Draco didn't know what Ryder did now that he had graduated from Durmstrang, and it had never come up in a conversation so he never asked any questions. He assumed Ryder worked wherever Atticus worked – if he worked – or he stayed at home all day. He most certainly didn't transfer to Hogwarts or offer to teach, Draco thought rather bitterly.

"It hurts, Ryder." Draco whined.

"Didn't you take a pain potion?" The brunette asked as he began to unwind the gauze from around Draco's arm. The arm was mostly yellow and green, and very sore looking. The bone that had been broken had been reset and fused back together with magic.

"I'm allergic and Pomfrey doesn't have anything else to give me. It hurts so much," he sniffled softly. Ryder smiled sadly at his love; then he smiled.

"I'm going to heal you. Well I'll take the pain away at any rate, and if anyone asks just tell them you woke up and it didn't hurt anymore. You won't be able to explain why the bruises faded so fast so I am terribly sorry to leave those horrid things to mar your perfect skin." Ryder gave a roguish grin and laughed as Draco gave a snort of amusement.

He cast a rather dark pain-relieving spell, but he made sure not to wish any ill intent upon his Dragon at the same time. When the spell was done the blond smiled and poked himself in the arm, grinning wider as he felt no pain. "Thank you!" He beamed.

Ryder wrapped the arm back up carefully and kissed the top of Draco's head. "Now don't go looking for attention tomorrow ok. I guarantee you, Potter will not give two flobberworms about your arm." He sneered, "in face that abominable Weasley boy will probably convince Potter you're faking. Be careful that Weasel doesn't try anything."

"I will, I promise." He paused. "And I don't show off for Potter!" He snarled.

"Of course you don't." He laughed softly, leaning down and capturing Draco's pale pink lips in a sweet kiss. "I love you," he whispered against Draco's flushed cheeks before moving back to the rose petal lips. Capturing them again was easy and Draco happily opened his mouth and allowed his tongue to be dominated. When they drew apart Ryder smiled sadly. "Go to sleep love, I'll see you soon." He cast a wandless sleeping charm on the blond.

When Draco was asleep, Ryder tucked him back into the bed and recast the rune 'skin' around himself. He left the Infirmary as quietly as he arrived.

From the door to the Office, Madame Poppy Pomfrey smiled to herself and gave a self-satisfied nod. She knew there was something strange about Harry Potter's looks; she just knew it. She was right: that wasn't how Harry Potter looked at all. That wasn't even the boy's name.

"Well, Ryder, they'll be some curses thrown when Mr. Malfoy finds out the truth," she closed her office door and headed to bed. She'll start preparing the Infirmary for the two boys' arrival tomorrow, ready for whenever the truth might leak out.

_XXX_

Severus bloody Snape I am going to kill you, Ryder raged mentally as the man burst through the doors off the Shrieking Shack and pointed a wand at Sirius Black. If only Ron and Hermione hadn't of been with him. If he could have spoken to Sirius and Remus on their own, things might have been easier.

Snape wouldn't have interrupted them, nor would Ron have a broken leg, nor would he have detentions until he graduated if Snape had anything to say about the night's excursion.

Ryder smirked; he'd just had a brilliant idea. A most brilliant idea if he did say so himself. Inconspicuously he drew his holly and phoenix feather wand and shouted, "Expelliarmus," in Snape's direction. He winced as the man slammed against the back wall with a crack. Then he pulled his own time turner out of his pocket and three spins later, he was ready to implement his plan.

In five hours Ron would be dragged to the Shrieking Shack by Sirius Black; he and Hermione would follow and be interrupted by Snape. Five hours should be plenty of time.

He touched the node on the base of the Whomping Willow and the tree stilled long enough for Ryder to slip under its branches and into the rabbit-like hole at the base. He followed the low ceiling tunnel to the Shrieking Shack where he knew for a fact Black and Remus Lupin were already waiting.

"Mr. Black, fancy seeing you here." Ryder smiled; his 'skin' was still in place.

Sirius Black – shoulder length black hair and grey-blue eyes – spun around to face his Godson. "Harry? Is that you?" Ryder nodded curtly and Remus nodded as well. Remus Lupin was Defence Professor for that year. "I can explain." The man suddenly cried, remember why this was the first time in so long he had seen his Godson.

"I know," he smiled. "My family explained that you are innocent."

"The Muggles?" Sirius wrinkled his nose in disgust.

"No, and if you're going to meet them, we better hurry. You have to be back in less than five hours with time to spare." Remus and Sirius exchanged glances. "I have a time turner. It goes without saying that this conversation will never be spoken of again, understood?" The adults nodded and with a flick of his blood oak wand Ryder turned his time turner into a temporary Portkey.

A few hours later, Sirius sat in the Lestrange's Study looking vaguely dazed while Remus was looking around him in awe. The Lupins were poor and Half-Blooded and Remus himself was a Werewolf; he would have not have been used to the splendour that surrounded him, unlike Sirius who was Pureblood to the core.

"So, we pretend that Harry isn't Harry and that we all love Dumbledore and you don't Obliviate us?" Black asked, making himself sound rather dim-witted, as this was the seventh time he'd asked that same question.

"Yes," Atticus' answers had gotten shorter and shorter.

Suddenly the fireplace flared to life, and it could only have been Lucius – because he knew about Harry/Ryder he was provided with the Study password without fear of catching Ryder without his 'skin' on. Lucius Malfoy, indeed, did step through and did a double take upon seeing the convict and the Werewolf in the room.

"An explanation if you please, my friend?" The blond drawled eyeing Atticus warily.

"They know," the black haired Vampyre murmured.

"The VIP list gets longer and longer, doesn't it Lucius?" Ryder laughed. He removed his 'skin' after arriving at his home. "No longer feeling so special?" The blond reached out and swatted Ryder across the head.

"Do not tempt me boy, I can refuse to allow you to marry Draco if you continue," he mock threatened and Ryder crossed his arms and pouted.

"You're engaged?" Remus asked confused.

"I didn't mention it?" Ryder shrugged. "Yes, to Lucius' Son. He doesn't know yet, and I must say I'm looking forward to telling him. I'd rather he not fall in love with Potter in the time being, it would be very hard to compete against ones self for another's affections." Sirius and Remus – even after having everything explained to them three times – looked confused.

Lucius noticed the looks on their faces and sighed, "Gryffindors!" Ryder elbowed him, only half insulted. After all, he should have gone to Slytherin.

They were brought back to the School with half an hour to spare. By then Black had realized there was no point trying to gain freedom through Dumbledore, who would only ship him straight back to Azkaban. So, exactly five hours from when Ryder turned the dials on the time turner, they were back where they began. Each remembering, but none of the three letting on to the fact.

And when they lost Wormtail, Sirius thought – while he was disappointed in a way – it was for the best because Dumbledore wouldn't have helped anyway.

That was the first of two major occasions Ryder had to use a time turner for Sirius Black's benefit. Having a Godfather was hard work, Ryder decided.

_XXX_

Ryder entered Malfoy Manor along with Draco and the blond's parents. It had become customary from around last year for Lucius to pick both boys up, while the Hammonds collected them from Durmstrang. However none of the children attended Durmstrang any longer, but they still couldn't just show up out of the blue and collect Harry Potter.

Vernon Dursley, every end of year, without fail, collected Harry Potter. Lucius Malfoy then relieved Vernon of Harry Potter. Draco stayed with Narcissa until Ryder had removed his 'skin' and then both groups met up and Draco was happier than ever because he missed Ryder so much.

It worked out well for everyone.

"So my Dragon, tell me what happened this year?" Ryder asked as the Malfoy's settled themselves down inside of their shiny silver Mercedes Benz. "Tell me everything."

"Well, you know about the Hippogriff right? Well, did you hear about after that? Apparently, Sirius Black was on the grounds! He even got into Gryffindor Tower because that lump Longbottom had months worth of passwords written down; what a moron!" Ryder listened attentively, already knowing what had happened but pretending to be surprised. Both elder Malfoy's listened as well, so Draco wouldn't have to give the same speech twice – even though they both received detailed letters weekly.

"Oh, Greg got sick over Easter break but he's ok now." Draco finished off. Wizards didn't celebrate Easter, but Dumbledore being a Muggleborn fanatic had included the holiday to please the Mudbloods that infested the School. None of the Purebloods were happy about the fact.

"So, Ryder, how did you do on your NEWTs?" Lucius asked as the conversation – or Draco's monologue – died out.

"Well enough. I only got an 'acceptable' in Animagus Training because I was hospitalised during the Theory test for family reasons and Karkaroff couldn't reschedule unless I explained the reason for my absence in front of half the exam board officials. So not happening." He drawled.

"How did you not get a 'troll'?" Draco asked curiously.

"Oh I did, in the theory. They had to give me an 'outstanding' for the practical though, because I achieved and can successfully transform into my animagus form."

"I suppose that rounds off to an 'acceptable'," Lucius agreed, "congratulations."

Narcissa said nothing she just nodded. She was still a little at odds with how clever the Hammond Twins seemed to be. She wasn't jealous per se, but she was unnerved, especially by the behaviour of Rose. Of course she didn't know that the spirit of Rowena Ravenclaw was sometimes in possession of Rose's body, so her behaviour was usually overlooked.

Draco was always horrified by it though. He kept expecting Ryder's family to get really annoyed with Narcissa and break the engagement because of her behaviour. Luckily, the thought never crossed Atticus' mind.

They had travelled faster than expected and now, as Ryder looked out the tinted window, Malfoy Manor had come into view.

"We're almost home," Ryder smiled.

Draco lent closer to Ryder, and lifting the brunette's arm he placed it over his own shoulders. The blond smiled, "I'm already home." Ryder was actually tempted to coo. Instead he just dropped a chaste kiss to Draco's forehead and tried not to blush at the looks Lucius was sending him.

Three years down, Ryder thought, four more to go before we're of age and I can marry the beauty beside me. He smirked: he was home, Draco was his home, and wherever Draco may lead. As sappy as it sounded. At least now he knew how Voldemort felt.

**XXX**

"False face must hide what the false heart doth know?" – 'Macbeth': Macbeth: Act 1, Scene 7.

"His golden blood." – 'Macbeth': Macbeth: Act 2, Scene 3.

Well there you go, another chapter done and dusted so to speak. Chapter 7 will be out as soon as possible but I really do need to study (do you notice that no matter how often I say that, I never get around to any actual studying?) Anyway, my laziness aside, please review!

I expect at least 10 before I'll post the next chapter… I got 25 or something for chapter 1, then it dwindled to 10 and now I only get around 6 per chapter. It's upsetting.


	7. Too Soon

Meh, my phone bill for Feb 13 – March 13th is 467-euros. FUCK! 172-euro of that is for the Internet! What the fuck? It's only meant to be 50-euro bi-monthly and I haven't done anything different to cause an extra 122-euro charge! GLARE. So my mum is refusing to pay so if my Internet gets cut off well you'll probably figure I out for yourself.

More bad news. I'm going to my dads at the end of March, and apparently his Internet is down and no one knows how to fix it… people get paid to do this and they can't do it?! So if I don't update from England, then the Internet is still broken while I'm there. Sorry.

_Underline & Italic is Bulgarian_

**Bold is Parseltongue**

If they don't show up, I'm sure you'll figure it out.

P.S. And we have semi-porn. **Warning**: Blowjob, slash, underage.

**Words: **6,128

**Chapter 7**

**Too Soon**

Ryder Ravyn Hammond was not at all happy.

One might assume he would have been ecstatic, considering his Father had just spent a small fortune on Quidditch World Cup tickets. Top row, centre stage: the best seats minus the Minister's box, which unfortunately was full up.

But no, he wasn't happy nor ecstatic or even slightly peppy. He was pissed as hell.

He wanted to go to the Quidditch World Cup with his parents and Sister, and then he wanted to meet up with his fiancé who did have seats in the Minister's box. He wouldn't be doing any of that though, because he would be going to the Quidditch World Cup with the Weasley's… as Harry Potter.

Ryder was understandably not amused.

For the last three years he had been masquerading as a boy who, in his mind, had died at 15-months-old. For the next four years he was expected to continue the rouse to keep his family away from Dumbledore's suspicions. He used a 'skin' made of rune magic to keep himself looking like Harry Potter would have – because the Blood Oath Ceremony he partook in as a child changed his appearance dramatically – and because glamours would not be able to fool Dumbledore. Ryder disliked this dangerous game intensely.

Mainly because it meant lying to someone he cared deeply about. His family didn't love in public; like many Pureblood families faked coldness so did the Hammonds. But he did love; he loved Draco Malfoy deeply, and the blond boy would be mad as hell when Ryder told him the truth.

As a Vampyre he had natural Occlumency shields of a sort. They didn't look or feel like shields to a Wizard but they did the same job. Draco wouldn't be able to build a shield that could protect him from Dumbledore – or even Snape who would give the game away in hatred – at such a young age. It was like a knife to the heart every time Harry had to face one of Draco's hate-filled glares.

And now, Harry would have to spend the weekend holed up in a very small area with Draco who hated him, while wishing he was there as Ryder, and watching a game that could never be as interesting as watching his lover.

"Do I have to? Can't I just say I'm sick?" Ryder whined pathetically as Violet Hammond dragged him by the arm up the stairs to his room, to pack. "I don't want to go with the Weasleys!" He threw himself on to his bed, in an uncharacteristic display of childishness, and pouted.

"Ryder we discussed this. You cannot send the golem. There will be highly trained Aurors there, the golem would not pass muster." Violet sighed, packing Ryder's trunk for him.

"And besides," Atticus added from the doorway where Rose was likewise sulking. "Rowena said she felt something bad would happen at the World Cup. You, yourself, must be there because you will be relied upon. Not a golem."

"Your friends could get hurt," Violet exclaimed ignoring Ryder's protest of 'they aren't really my friends' as she packed lots of clean underwear. "How would you feel if they got hurt while you were off snogging Draco?"

"Don't talk about Draco like that!" He hissed, defending his boyfriend's honour.

"Yeah," Rose giggled, "they don't 'snog'; they 'make love' with their tongues!" She laughed when Ryder blushed faintly. Violet sniffed and turned her nose up in mock offence.

"Anyway," Ryder mumbled, "how can you go without me? We're sitting right next to the Malfoys practically. They'll notice."

"You could be sick," Violet suggested.

"You could have gotten on my nerves and I killed you?" Atticus asked his face completely serious looking. Violet looked annoyed at him, but he didn't react. Ryder rolled his eyes.

Rose's eyes turned from green to blue, and stayed that colour. "You could go with both families at the same time. Do you have a copy of _"Get Things Done Faster" by Fibilus Queep_?" Atticus nodded and summoned a house elf to fetch the book.

Suri handed the book over to Rowena who hurriedly flicked through it. "How well stocked are your potions stores?" Ryder shrugged; he wasn't all that interested in potions. "You need mandrake root, hayleberry juice, venom of a king cobra, raven's feet, a peacock feather and red candle wax."

"What are you doing?" Ryder asked slightly worried. After all, the spell was going to be performed on him.

"Oh, we're making a clone of you." Ryder sighed when Rowena spoke, running a hand over his face wearily he rather wished he hadn't bothered to complain.

_XXX_

When the Potion was complete and ingested, everyone waited impatiently for the results. Ryder groaned and clutched his stomach with both hands. The pain was incredible. If he had ever been under the Cruciatus Curse, he would have insisted this potion was even more painful. One fat, blood red tear slipped from the corner of his right eye and trailed slowly down his cheek, leaving a path of blood in its wake.

On instinct, Ryder took a step to his right. When he moved, it looked like he was stretching to become twice his width. He gave another groan, as he seemed to shimmer and split down the middle, to become two very separate boys. The Ryder on the right ran his hands down his chest and stomach, while the Ryder on the left copied the motion. The Ryder on the left-hand side, hand a trail of blood streaming from his left eye.

"Bloody wicked," Right said; he was the real Ryder. "So now I can go with you right?" He was grinning brightly enough to light up the whole room.

"Nope, you're going with the Weasleys," Atticus actually laughed while he said this.

Ryder's face fell faster than a falling aeroplane. "What? But? What was the point in this then?" He practically screamed.

"Wouldn't want the Malfoy's asking uncomfortable questions." Atticus laughed and left the room. Ryder through the potions cauldron at the wall, and cursed.

_XXX_

Draco Malfoy was a very happy boy. Not only had his Father gotten seats in the Ministers Box, of all places, for the Quidditch World Cup, but also he had just spotted Ryder! Ryder's family were sitting in the stands right beside his own seats and a row forward. Unfortunately Weasleys do not believe in being fashionably late and so they had taken up the entire front row by the time the Malfoys had arrived.

"Ryder," Draco hissed, trying to keep his voice from sounding too excited. Lucius shot him a glare, while Minister Fudge carried on talking to the Bulgarian Minister Mr. Obalaskonks-something.

Harry Potter turned around to stare at Draco, who glared at him and rolled his eyes before turning away. Harry flinched slightly, but Hermione Granger – his Muggleborn 'best' friend – drew his attention back to the game.

Ryder – who was really a clone – blinked and turned his head at the sound of 'his' name. Left – who is Ryder – smiled, slowly, reminding Draco scarily of Greg or Vincent when they were pretending to be stupid. He shook himself, and let out an annoyed sigh.

"Ryder, you didn't tell me you were coming! You could have got tickets with us." Draco smiled. Narcissa was poking Lucius in the thigh, discreetly, and so he stopped glaring at his Son's lack of apathy in public. Harry prayed that the clone would remember the story Atticus had tried to drill into its feeble mind.

"Father doesn't like Quidditch, Draco, you know that." Ryder tilted his head to one side, seemingly wanting to turn his attention back to the game. Draco looked slightly put off; "it took so long to convince him to buy tickets, that the Weasels had already infested the Box."

Lucius was paying close attention to Ryder's behaviour. Hesitantly he lowered his Occlumency shields and used his empathic abilities to test out Ryder's thoughts and emotions. Scarily, surprisingly, the boy's mind was completely blank. He almost laughed. Ryder was not ill; Ryder just was not Ryder. He glanced at Harry Potter out of the corner of his eyes and let the corner of his lips twitch into a brief smile, long enough for Harry to notice. Ryder was, tonight, allowing something to impersonate himself, while he took up his own role.

Good boy, Lucius thought. Tonight, they'll need Harry Potter.

"Pity," Draco muttered shooting hateful glares at the numerous red heads in front of him. "Vermin," he sneered.

Minister Fudge seemed to finally notice the young blond's conversation, and cough pointedly at Lucius. "Cornelius, allow me to introduce you to some good friends of mine. This is Atticus Rochairt; Son of Belladonna Lestrange, you remember her?"

"Of course, Lucius, never a better Charms Mistress lived." Fudge simpered, holding his sweaty hand out for Atticus to shake.

"And this is his Wife, Violet Hammond and-"

Fudge cut Lucius off abruptly, "Merlin, of the Irish Hammonds?" Violet nodded, trying not to sneer at the loathsome Minister. "By the gods! You wouldn't have a host would you?" His eyes had practically widened to the size of galleons. Violet sneered at him and shook her head before turning away irritated.

"I'm afraid she isn't feeling too well, Cornelius. Nor is her Son." Draco's mouth formed a perfect 'o'. Ryder was sick; obviously that was why the boy was acting so funny today. "This is Ryder Ravyn and his elder Twin, Rose Robin Hammond. They live close to my Manor."

"Ah, taking residence in the old Lestrange place eh?"

"It is my ancestral home," Atticus hissed, his eyes narrowing and his grip tightening on his Daughter's arm. In Rose's head, Rowena mentally tightened her grip as well.

"Any specific reasons for the children's names?" He smirked. He was referring to the double 'R' for the initials.

"Honouring our ancestors," Rose hissed as her eye likewise narrowed. Violets grip tightened further.

They were taking no chances. People had been known to try and capture hosts before. Like Muggles, Wizards too could be fascinated by or afraid of the unknown. In fact, one of Tom Riddle's great-great-great-long-time-great-uncles had been captured and tortured for almost a decade as Medi-Wizards tried to extract the spirit of Salazar Slytherin by force. Understandably the man was rather worse for wear by the time he miraculously escaped. Riddle was descended from the Brother of the captured man.

Fudge would be the second last person the Hammond family wanted knowing about Rowena. The first person being, of course, Dumbledore.

Fortunately, Fudge seemed to have believed them, and either wasn't bothered about their hostile attitudes or he hadn't noticed them. He was once again talking to the Bulgarian Minister, who didn't understand a word he was saying.

Harry and the Hammonds did of course. "_Hello Sir, please excuse the idiot beside you. He obviously has absolutely no common sense, whatsoever. However, my family and I are able to speak your language quite fluently. My Brother and I recently graduated from Durmstrang – yes, rather early I know – and we used to live in Romania before moving back to England._" Rose smiled beguilingly.

Mr. Obalansk looked beyond pleased, when he was addressed in Bulgarian rather than English. He gave a grin and began to reply in rapid Bulgarian, while everyone but the Hammonds looked on in utter confusion. "_Call me Dagda, please. Why, I am beyond relieved to know this titbit. I was beside myself with worry that I wouldn't be able to speak to any one until I returned home, or met with the players. Krum is the Son of a friend of mine, did you know? Do you know him?_"

"_Yes I know him, as does Ryder, my Brother. He was in his 4th Year while Ryder and I were in our 6th. Viktor is at present my boyfriend._" Mr. Obalansk gave a confused smile.

"_I wasn't aware Viktor was involved with anyone?_"

"_They are private people_," Ryder said with a sly grin, shooting a look at Harry Potter whose eyes were now trained on his Sister's boyfriend.

Krum flew right in front of their seats then ending the conversation. The Weasley's all gave enthusiastic cheers as Krum waved in their direction. Rose rolled her eyes at their pathetic behaviour and blew her boyfriend a kiss. Ryder waved and Harry did nothing, because if he had Krum wouldn't have recognized him anyway. Viktor looked at Draco and smiled, recognizing the blond from the pictures Ryder used to have in his bedroom at Durmstrang. Why Krum was in Ryder's bedroom, you wonder? Don't be so perverted.

_XXX_

They were running, running, running; through the forest surrounding the Quidditch field and towards the hill with the Portkey on it. Everyone was running. In the crowd of black-cloaked figures Lucius Malfoy wondered for the umpteenth time why he was participating? His Lord was not returning, Rowena had assured him. He had nothing to fear.

But then again, Rowena hadn't known about the Diary in Second Year, had she? A snide voice in Lucius' mind asked. The blond man's eye twitch, but no one saw it through the bone white skull mask.

Ryder – the clone – and his family had left straight after the match had ended, as Violet feigned illness. Harry Potter, however, was hurriedly woken and rushed out of his tent. With a curse, he followed those who were running, heading towards the forest with his friends.

Lucius Malfoy watched the boy go, and tried his best to keep his friends attention away from the retreating Boy-Who-Lived. He wouldn't be able to explain to his Son how his fiancé died looking like Harry Potter. He just wouldn't be up to the headache that would follow.

When the Dark Mark shot through the sky minutes – maybe hours – later, the Death Eaters ran for their lives as if the hounds of Hell were on their tails. The ordinary Witches and Wizards seemed to find new pitches of volume, as their screams intensified. At Lestrange Manor, Rowena apparated through the Wards to land directly underneath the glowing green Mark. She turned Rose invisible as she looked around.

She could sense one of them, of the Marked. He seemed to smell more of her Salazar than Lucius did. Like more of Rose's Tom as well. She groaned. This one, the one who had cast the Mark, had been near Voldemort recently; which meant one thing.

"It's too soon," she whispered as Harry and his friends inched their way forwards.

When Voldemort had been alive, his soul was rendered into seven parts. When he had been defeated, the one small part he had left was enough to link him to the other six, keeping him alive – sort of. Rowena had cast a very complicated charm over herself and her Mate before allowing herself to be hit with the Killing Curse.

Not only did it turn her into a Vampyre early, but also it turned Lord Voldemort human. At present, in the year 1994, Voldemort was 67 years old – or he would have been had he not been vanquished. He would have been 70, when Rose had come of age in 1997. Even among Magical folk, that age gap was not one that could be tolerated, and so both would have been forced to remain Mateless.

The spell, however, caused Voldemort to revert in years. To a time, physically, when he was human. He would retain all knowledge he had gained after creating Horcrux's but he would look like the old Tom Riddle, and would be that age as well. Each year that Voldemort had been 'dead' for, he would lose 3 years. When he was scheduled to return to life in 1997, he should have only been 22 years old. A mere five years older than his Mate: acceptable.

However, if he returned now – however he was managing it Rowena could not figure out – he would be 28 and Rose would still be fourteen. Unacceptable.

By bringing Voldemort to life again, when Rose was of age, guaranteed they could Mate and Bond as soon as possible. But if Voldemort came back now, when Rose was far too young, he could very well descend into madness again before her 17th birthday came around. Or, he may even try to force himself on her, which would not bode well for Salazar and Rowena being reunited in happiness and finding eternal peace.

"It's too soon," she whispered again as a flock of Aurors descended on the three teenagers screaming 'which one of you cast it'. "Too soon," she sobbed, her blue eyes brimming with tears.

_XXX_

"_Do you think I am a fool, Ryder?_" Viktor Krum hissed once he cornered Harry Potter. It was late into the first term of 4th Year and the other Schools had only arrived a few days ago. This was the earliest Krum could get time to himself to seek out the other famous Wizard.

"_How did you figure it out?_" Harry answered a small smirk playing over his lips. He wasn't too bothered about Viktor knowing. Viktor already knew about Rose being a host, and had sworn to keep her safe even at his own risk. Ryder was expecting a similar promise towards himself when the conversation was over, despite whether he wanted an oath or not.

"_You must think me a great fool, Ryder. I am not so unintelligent as to not be able to fit pieces of a puzzle together. Did you think I did not notice all of your unexplained absences? Starting the year Harry Potter joined Hogwarts? When, for all the years before then, you had not missed so much as a single day of Durmstrang?_" Viktor looked slightly amused, even as he ranted and complained.

"It was a secret." Ryder mumbled slipping into English while letting go of the magic maintaining his 'skin' and allowing his true features to show.

Viktor frowned, "a secret I can understand, but vrom me?" His accent was particularly heavy when he stumbled his way through the English language. Unfortunately for the Durmstrang guests, nearly no one at Hogwarts spoke any language but English and maybe French or Italian, which was no use to the Bulgarians at all. "You know you can trust me. I vould not betray you." Viktor squeezed Ryder's shoulder slightly.

"I know I could," Ryder promised. "But I wanted to tell everyone I cared about together. I don't think I could face the fallout so many times in a row."

"Your viancé!" Viktor exclaimed. "How vill you explain to him about thees?"

"Merlin knows," Ryder rubbed his face wearily.

"_Come with me, back to the Ship. You can stay in my cabin and explain. I will tell anyone who asks that you are visiting me on your Sister's behalf as she is ill. Deal?_" Ryder only nodded and began to follow dutifully. "Vait! Vhat are you going to do at the Yule Ball?"

"What Ball?" Ryder shrieked as Viktor shrugged apologetically and dragged him towards the Black Lake faster.

_XXX_

Harry Potter was beyond bored. He had gone to the Yule Ball with one of the Patil Twins. As a Tri-Wizard Champion, he was expected to attend.

The Tri-Wizard Tournament was also why Durmstrang and Beauxbatons students were milling around Hogwarts. Unfortunately for Ryder, Harry Potter had been picked as the Fourth Champion for the **Tri**-Wizard Tournament. Viktor had been chosen for his School, so Rose had to worry continuously about both boys now, rather than just one.

Happily, Rose had broken up with Viktor for the duration of his stay at Hogwarts, so he could take Hermione Granger to the Yule Ball without feeling like he was cheating on anyone. Ron was, as usual, sulking while ignoring the second Patil twin.

When his date stormed off with a boy from Beauxbatons, Harry stood and stretched. "Going to bed mate," he muttered and Ron gave a grunt in reply. Harry rolled his eyes and left the room.

Half an hour later, he re-entered the room again, in a completely different outfit.

Draco Malfoy was bored as well. He had been so excited when his Father let slip about the Durmstrang students spending the year in the Castle. Until he remembered that Ryder had already graduated. Still, it didn't stop him from looking through the crowd of new students hopefully. He hadn't seen Ryder, like he expected not to, but he did glimpse Viktor Krum. The two got on well enough; mostly their conversations revolved around Quidditch, Ryder or Rose. They had little else in common.

To be honest, Draco had rather hoped that Krum would ask him to the Ball. He absolutely despised Pansy Parkinson clinging to him and telling people they were engaged. Ever since Ayden Parkinson mentioned brief negotiations – before the Hammonds signed the contract – Pansy had taken it into her head that this 'Ryder' boy didn't exist, and it was only Mr. Malfoy's way of marrying Draco to some other girl without her noticing. She now followed him everywhere, insisting that he loved her really, and once they were married he'd remember that fact.

Draco rolled his eyes, and blocked out Pansy's enthusiastic chatter.

It was either Krum ask him, or he would beg Harry Potter to take him. He had asked Severus for permission to invite Ryder but had been denied. Apparently the Weasley's mentioned something to Dumbledore about a Lestrange being back in the country; and being a Lestrange, Ryder was exempt from Hogwarts. Bigot, Draco thought.

He felt horrible, he really did. But it was Krum – who was with Granger now – Pansy or Potter – who wasn't at all enjoying his date. If Ryder couldn't be there, one of the other three had to do.

Not to mention that since the beginning of the year – actually since he had seen Potter at the World Cup, and noticed Potter staring at him – he had been having rather explicit sexual fantasies about himself and Potter, during History of Magic. His dreams though, had begun to star Ryder Hammond.

He was frustrated beyond belief, trying to understand how he could lust after – love at least one – two different boys at the same time. Was that like cheating on Ryder, he wondered glumly.

Pansy's hollering finally penetrated his depressed brain as he heard the words 'Ryder' and 'mine' being hissed in a familiar male voice.

"Ryder you say?" Pansy sneered. "Drakey-poo, did you make this poor boy dress up to prove your point?"

Harry had never liked Pansy much to begin with, but after finding out about the contract she was even more unbearable. "No, I assure you my name really is Ryder."

"Oh, I remember you now. You're the little urchin who used to wonder around Malfoy Manor while Mother and I were visiting." She stuck her nose in the air, assuming Ryder was a charity case of Narcissa's.

"Uh, yes but that's mainly because I didn't want you to see me encase you tried to converse with me." He smiled sweetly, his sugary smile looking more poisonous to those that knew him well. "Draco love, care to dance with me?" He took Draco's hand without an answer and pulled him onto the dance floor.

"How? I asked and they said you couldn't come." He muttered, laying his head on Ryder's shoulder.

"Viktor asked." He said simply, and Draco cursed Dumbledore's prejudices. "Rose was worried about him, but she's ill so I said I'd check. It's a perk that I get to dance with you as well." His grip tightened around Draco's waist. "I have to leave tonight though," he whispered sadly. How he wished he could stay with Draco forever.

Three and a half years, he reminded himself.

"I came all the way from Wiltshire and this is the 'hello' I get?" He teased the still stunned blond.

Draco gave a lecherous smile and tilted his head up – for Ryder was slightly taller, while Harry was shorter – and pressed their lips together. The chaste kiss turned hungry suddenly, and the boys fought each other's tongues for dominance. Their hands tugged at each other's clothing, running thought each other's hair and over flushed skin. They broke apart at times only to surge together soon afterwards.

Loud coughing broke them apart a while later, and Ryder shot Severus a slightly sorry looking smile, while Draco looked mortified. "Sorry sir." He took Draco's hand and led the boy towards the Slytherin common room. Ron and Ginny Weasley looked on with glares on their faces as, who Dumbledore assured them were, two future-Death Eaters left together.

"How do you know where-" He asked and stopped at the grin on his loves face.

"It's a secret, pet. What will you give me if I spill the beans?" Draco blushed as Ryder's gaze trailed over his body twice before meeting his eyes again.

"Coiled serpents," Draco whispered to the dungeon wall. Much like the entrance to Diagon Alley the bricks turned inwards and began to move out of the way creating a doorway wide enough for two people to walk abreast. They entered the empty common room in silence.

At once, Ryder nudged Draco causing the boy to fall forward onto one of the couches. Ryder turned his lover over, so Draco was lying on his back mouth open in shock. He moved to straddle the boy's waist and kissed him furiously. "I believe this was where we were interrupted?" He asked coyly as his hands slid under the blond's robes and into his trousers.

Draco wasn't wearing any boxers, so Ryder's hand brushed straight against the blond's already erect penis. Draco gave a moan at the first real sexual touch he had ever received from Ryder.

In minutes, the blond was laying completely naked on the couch. Ryder, still fully dressed, bent down a licked a trail from Draco's belly button to his left nipple. He bit down slightly and moved his head so he was able to lave the right nipple for a second or two. He pulled his head back and darted forward to catch the gasp that escaped from Draco's mouth as his hand brushed the blond's cock again.

Slithering down the aroused teens body like a snake, Ryder hovered over the blond's erection, blowing cold puffs of air onto the engorged flesh. He opened his mouth wider and engulfed the rigid flesh. He hummed lightly as he worked his way down the shaft, trying to take the entire length into his mouth at once.

Draco groaned as he felt the warmth wetness of Ryder's mouth encase him. He panted as he felt the tip of his cock brush against Ryder's throat while the brunette tried to relax his muscles enough to deep throat Draco. The blond almost screamed when Ryder swallowed around him.

It felt like Heaven and Hell all at once. The pleasure was unparamount but Ryder had his hips pinned in place and Draco so desperately wanted to thrust upwards into that welcoming mouth. Being unable to move at present was a torture in and of itself.

In what seemed like no time at all Draco screamed his pleasure out to the world as he released himself into the brunette's mouth. Ryder swallowed once he was sure Draco had enough wits about him to be watching. The blond flushed as he watched his essence being swallowed by his fiancé. His licked his lips and lent up for a kiss, desperate to taste himself on the other boy's lips.

His eyes fluttered after the kiss. "Sleep," Ryder ordered running a hand over Draco's cheek.

"You'll leave." Draco protested even as his eyes drifted shut and didn't open again.

"I'll stay as long as I can," he whispered to the sleeping blond. Ryder picked Draco up bodily and carried him into the 4th Year dorm room. He dressed his mate in black silk pyjamas and tucked him into the bed with 'D. Malfoy' carved into the headboard in an eloquent script.

Ryder watched Draco sleep for the next two hours. After which, Blaise Zabini entered the room and raised an eyebrow. "Do I want to know?" Ryder smirked. "As long as you didn't fuck on my bed," he muttered and changed into his own pyjamas. "Goodnight." He shouted after Ryder who was already making his way through the slowly filling up common room.

_XXX_

"Where are we?" Cedric Diggory – the other Hogwarts Champion – asked as he looked around. "Did you know about this?" Harry just shook his head. He couldn't believe this. They were Portkeyed out of the Maze: the third and final Task. He had almost completed this stupid Tournament and now something goes wrong.

"I think we should get to the Portkey and leave," Ryder was already making his way over.

Cedric laughed, "come on, maybe it's a secret test."

"I've never been too fond of secrets unless they are mine," Ryder shrugged and aimed his wand at the Portkey, "accio Portkey," the Cup floated to him. "Take hold, Diggory."

"Come one, Harry, I don't think we should leave yet." He whined, but he moved towards the Cup anyway.

"Trust me, I know about strange unexplained things. This is a bad one of those." Diggory's hand was inches away from the handle of the Cup when he was engulfed in a flash of green light. He dropped soundlessly to the floor and Ryder's head snapped around to face Peter Pettigrew smirking at him from behind a gravestone. "Wormtail," he hissed. He cast a sad look at Cedric; he wished people would learn to do as he told them to without asking questions first. It could have saved Diggory's life, at least.

"**Potter**," a voice hissed and Ryder faced the wriggling bundle in Wormtail's arms with suspicion.

"No," He muttered in denial. "It's too soon," he backed away. He had to leave, he needed to get away. Rowena would be so mad if he was responsible for bring Voldemort back too soon.

Everything after that seemed to pass in a blur. He was tied to a gravestone and Wormtail cut his arm. He stole his blood and dripped it into a cauldron with a bone from Tom Riddle Sr. and Voldemort himself. He cut his own hand off! Ryder looked away.

He thought, briefly, about removing his 'skin' but decided against it. He would not give up his secret to an unstable Voldemort. If Tom Riddle made another appearance, then maybe.

He struggled futilely against the magical bonds holding him in place. His eyes widened with horror as he took in the grotesque sight that was the newly resurrected Lord Voldemort. Rose would adamantly refuse to Mate with him if he didn't do something about his looks before he saw her.

His nose was flat and slitted, like a snakes, he had no lips or eyebrows. His eyes were crimson red and his skin a deathly pale. His fingers were long and spindly and he was bald.

"Rowena," he screamed as Wormtail held out his left hand. Voldemort paused, as he was about to summon the Death Eaters.

In the back of Voldemort's mind, Salazar fought against his bonds harder than ever before, "mate?" The Slytherin from years ago asked.

"Too young," Ryder choked out as the magical bonds tightened in Voldemort's anger. "Too soon." He broke off into coughing. Voldemort didn't take to kindly to his imaginary friend stealing his body without permission apparently.

Tom Riddle however, having merged his soul back with Voldemort's, still had a measure of 'self' about him. He was not entirely Voldemort, but nor was he only Tom now. He was as he was, he supposed. He knew though that he had enough strength, combined with Salazar, to over power Voldemort for a few moments at the most.

The bonds holding Ryder went down suddenly, dropping the teenager to the floor in an ungainly heap. "RUN!" Tom cried, his red eyes flashing green for a moment as Tom took complete control.

Ryder didn't need telling twice. He shot to his feet and sprinted towards Cedric. He threw himself over the dead boy's body and accioed the Portkey. After a brief nauseating moment, he was back at Hogwarts, along with a dead ex-student.

"He's back!" Ryder screamed through his very real tears. "Voldemort is back." Shit, Rowena was going to kill him.

_XXX_

Sirius threw himself at Ryder when the boy walked through the front doors of Lestrange Manor.

Draco had spent most of the train ride laughing at Cedric's death and Harry Potter in general. In truth the boy was scared. He knew his Father now feared the Dark Lord for some reason, and he was likewise afraid because his Father was. And he didn't even have Ryder to comfort him. Ryder hadn't been able to work up the energy to conjure the golem and meet Draco along with Lucius. He had just trekked to the Dursley's car and allowed them to drive him to the nearest deserted alley where he apparated home, illegally.

Hugging his Godfather back tightly, Ryder finally allowed the tears he had been willing away to fall.

He looked to Rose, whose eyes were blue and sniffed, "I am so sorry."

"It is not your fault. I should have seen something. I am a fool." She ran a hand through her teenaged hosts hair and tugged angrily.

"You're not." Ryder smiled, happy to remove his 'skin' and be home at last. "I won't be able to last the next year, I really won't." He sighed. "I feel so bad. I'm so powerful and I couldn't save Diggory. I didn't even notice Wormtail sneak up on us!"

Rose hugged him from behind, her eyes green again, allowing Sirius to keep Ryder pressed against his chest. "All will be well in the end." She tried to smile comfortingly and failed, "Rowena will think of something. You'll see." She whispered, almost to herself as their parents looked on worried.

_XXX_

In Riddle Manor, Voldemort fumed. The first part of his soul that he had removed was back, he had known this, what he didn't know was why it had so much control over him. Along with that damned Salazar.

In truth, Tom and Salazar controlled Voldemort because both strived to find and longed for their Mate with an emotion unmatched by any other: love. Voldemort's anger and hate could never be greater than Tom's love for his Mate, nor Salazar's for Rowena. And the sooner Voldemort got his head around that the better!

Not to mention sorted out his looks.

_You look horrible,_ said Salazar in Voldemort's head.

"Shut up," Voldemort glared at the wall. He wished Wormtail would hurry up and come back so he could have someone to Crucio.

_Well you do. Our mate will not want us with you looking like a snake._ Tom Riddle joined in the fray.

"Shut up," Voldemort screamed wishing he had hair to tug on in anger. "I haven't got a Mate, you haven't got a Mate. Hell, you shouldn't even have a body."

"Nor should you," a female voice whispered from beside his throne. Voldemort turned his head and blinked at the fourteen-year-old girl standing beside him completely unafraid. "At least for another three years. Tom, love, you ruined all my plans." Rose smiled and flicked her long black hair over her shoulder. "Oh, you should really do something about your looks."

She turned and without another word headed towards the door. "CRUCIO!" Voldemort cried, pointing his wand at her in anger. Rose's body convulsed slightly but she didn't fall to the floor or cry out with further enraged Voldemort. Her presence made his heart beat faster, and it made him want to crawl on his hands and knees in front of her and beg to be worthy of her love. He did not like those types of feelings at all. The one who should be begged at was he; he did not beg!

_That was rude_, Rowena hissed angrily in Rose's mind.

"Silence Rowena." Rose muttered and continued walking. She had only wanted to see her Mate for herself, and to tell the truth she was not impressed. Dumbledore had a lot to answer for, she knew, for having driven her future lover to this.

_Rowena?_ Salazar asked as the girl disappeared from sight. _You FUCKING idiot!_ He screamed at Voldemort, who winced slightly. _You just tortured your Mate. MY Mate!_

"Mate?" He whispered like he couldn't believe it was true. He sounded just like the vulnerable Tom Riddle, that Harry had encountered in the Chamber of Secrets just before destroying the diary. No one answered him, and he was left to brood in silence, no longer feeling the need to Crucio anyone.

**XXX**

Thank you for reading everyone. And thank you to everyone at FF-net especially because I got 25 reviews for the last chapter and I am absolutely chuffed to bits! Keep it up GRINS.

As you can tell, I changed a lot of that year lol. Also, I'm toying with the idea of making Voldemort a split-personality (when he combines with the rest of his soul pieces), what do you think? I can always not I suppose.

Hmm, my mum is having a psycho-bitch attack at the moment… so I'm going over there to hide. Hides


	8. Spilling The Beans

Ok, I was wrong about the Phone Bill AN in the last chapter. It's not an extra 122-euro charge. It's an extra 172-euro charge because the 50-euro it's MEANT to be paid, is paid separately. FUCK! I am not allowed to go on the Internet until my mum rings Eirecom to see if anything is wrong with the charges so (this won't be posted till after it's all sorted out).

And, no, I can't use an Internet-Café because the nearest one is an hour drive away because I live in the back arse of nowhere!

Ok, never mind all that! She rang today and apparently I've been charged for ringing a 1982 dial up number, but the people at Eirecom said my computer is configured to ring 1983… so they're going to do an enquiry and I have to pay anyway, but I might be able to claim the money back… Yeah…

**Words: **6,207

**Chapter 8**

**Spilling The Beans**

Harry shivered. It was so cold, all around him the air had chilled and every puddle on the ground froze over. He rubbed his hands up and down his arms and looked around. Beside him, his Cousin Dudley had fallen, trembling, to the ground. His teeth chattered as he tried to spot the Dementor, he knew was causing the coldness.

He rolled his eyes as two Dementors swept forwards out through a corpse of trees beside the park. He raised his blood oak wand high and called, "expecto patronum!"

Expectedly the two Dementors shrieked. They turned their backs to Harry and flew away from the charging white Stag that had shot out of Harry's wand. Unexpectedly, a Ministry owl flew over the trees and dropped a letter at Harry's feet.

Harry read it and frowned in confusion before looking down at the wand in his hand. "Fuck," he hissed when he noticed he wasn't holding his blood oak wand, but his phoenix and holly wand. The letter had been his Second Warning for the Misuse of Magic around Muggles. Harry Potter was hereby suspended from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

He glared at Dudley, whose fault it all was in the first place. Feeling rather vindictive, he kicked the trembling lump in the ribs; hard, and laughed when he heard a faint crack. He made sure he had his blood oak wand in his hand before casting a levitation charm on his Cousin, and floating the boy two roads over back to Number 4.

He didn't bother to listen to the adult Dursley's ranting, he just pushed past them and took the stairs two at a time, and locked himself inside of Dudley's second bedroom.

Flinging himself on the bed, he rubbed his eyes angrily, unable to believe he had been so careless as to use the wrong wand. Then he shrugged. He could make it work, he supposed. He already had OWLs and NEWTs, so it wasn't like he actually needed to complete Hogwarts! Not like Dumbledore would let him leave anyway. Harry needed to be kept close, to be kept under the thumb.

But, if he got expelled, Ryder supposed as he removed his 'skin', he could always have Harry killed in a car crash or something, and he could go to Hogwarts as a Defence Professor? Rowena couldn't complain about that! He'd still be able to keep an eye on Dumbledore and Voldemort, and Draco, without actually having to worry about being a weapon of the Light Side.

Then again, if he didn't get expelled, Rowena had nothing to complain about.

He closed his eyes, determined to go to sleep and forget about everything that had happened in the last week. It really was all Dudley's fault!

There he had been in his bedroom in Lestrange Manor with Draco, who was about to pay him back for that blowjob last year. And what happens? Petunia rings his Hufflepuff-cursed-mobile, whinging and screaming that something strange had happened to her Diddydums! His Cousin had always been strange in Ryder's opinion, but Petunia didn't seem to find that comment amusing.

Leaving Draco – and the promised sexual act – had wrenched Ryder's heart. He hated leaving his fiancé. They didn't spend near enough time together, and when they finally got the chance, someone interfered. But, Ryder had consoled himself with the knowledge that he could fix Dudley and come straight home to Draco.

The blond had been waiting on the bed when Ryder got back from the visit to the Dursley's. Draco had been pissed as hell when Ryder told him to get dressed and leave, because he had to go away for a week. Now Draco would have understood, had he not felt humiliated and rejected. Not to mention, he was starting to believe Ryder was cheating on him! He was always away after that phone rang, always, and he hardly ever came back. He hated feeling jealous!

Dudley Dursley had managed to get himself Kissed by Dementors the day Ryder got the phone call. And there was no way to 'fix' Dudley, other than to use the time turner.

So Harry Potter had to make an appearance at Number 4. He was there for three days before the attack would have occurred, and each day the Dursley's refused to believe it was for their own good. They even went so far as to install multiple locks on the outside of his bedroom door – and a cat flap!

He had saved Dudley, but disregarding that fact the Dursley's continued to bully him into leaving. He was packed and ready to go the day he arrived, but he wasn't allowed to leave. Especially not now! He couldn't believe he got himself suspended! The First Warning wasn't even for him; it was for Dobby.

He sighed and rolled over on the bed, and pulled the pillow over his head. Soon he was breathing deeply, having slipped into the arms of Morpheus.

_XXX_

He was walking down a long, dark corridor. There was a locked door at the end and he instinctively knew he was meant to go through the door. But how? He didn't have a key, and every time he reached out for the door handle the corridor got longer, pulling him away.

He tried running, but the corridor still stretched longer before he could touch the door.

He tried throwing himself forward but his hands went through the door, and then the corridor stretched and he was far away from the door again anyway.

He tried to raise his wand, but he couldn't. His arm just wouldn't move. Everything suddenly had gone blurry, before swimming back into focus. He wasn't seeing things normally anymore, not like he had been a moment ago. Everything was fuzzy around the edges, the picture was slightly slanted in the middle and it was all in greyscale.

He tried to speak but all that came out was a hiss. He blinked and moved his mouth again. Again he hissed. He poked his tongue out, as if to confirm a suspicion. His tongue was red and longer than it should have been and forked. He was a snake.

He tried to think of a way to see himself, but there was no mirrors in the corridor, nor were there any windows.

His head snapped around, his long body still slithering down the corridor he had been walking along moments before. Someone was screaming, and the pitch hurt his ears. He wanted them to shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut-! He leapt forward, his mouth open and poison dripping off the ends of his fangs. He had to make the screaming stop!

The human was hurting his ears.

Ryder blinked, and groaned. He was human again. But he was still in that goddamned corridor! He looked around and nearly screamed himself. At his feet was a huge King Cobra, who was spitting and hissing as if in pain. Ryder sighed, if she'd had to listen to the same screaming he heard, he couldn't blame her.

He kept searching the corridor with his eyes. There, half hidden by an invisibility cloak was a familiar man, with very familiar red hair. Ryder gulped, that snake had killed Arthur Weasley! He had killed Arthur Weasley! He was so expelled!

"Please be alive," he muttered as he ran forward, thanking the gods that the corridor didn't stretch and take him away from the prone man. Ryder felt his neck, and his wrists. After finding a pulse, he pressed his ear to the man's heart. The beat was weak, but it didn't stop or hitch, so Ryder figured he had time.

He turned to face the snake. "**Hello beautiful serpent**," he hissed and the Cobra lifted her head to look at him.

"**Hello snake-human. Why don't you run?**" She blinked her large golden eyes at him.

"**Why do you call me a snake-human? Am I not a snake-child? And I do not run, because where would I run to?**" He looked up and down the corridor that was the same, every bloody inch of it.

"**You do not smell like a child**," the snake flicked her tongue out to taste him.

"**I am part-Vampyre**." He paused, "**what kind of a snake are you, beautiful?**"

She preened at his compliment, "**I am a King Cobra! I am very large and poisonous, snakeling. I will bear many healthy eggs**." She moved closer to him and he reached down to rub the scales on her head briefly.

His other hand went into the pocket of his robes and he was very relieved to find that his clothes were exactly how they were when he was awake. All clothing belonging to people in his family had invisible pockets stitched into the inside lining. Rowena was very paranoid, probably with good reason. But inside the pocket was a small silver box.

Ryder pulled the box out. The box was filled with small capsules, like Muggle medicines; each capsule had a word engraved onto it, or was in different colours. "**King Cobra… here it is**." Ryder pulled out a blue pill with 'KC' engraved into it.

Before the snake could react, he had the pill in Arthur's mouth and was trying to force him to swallow it. When he did, Arthur's breathing evened out and his heart beat speed back up to normal. Now, all the St. Mungos staff had to do was stop the blood flow – Ryder refused to lick Arthur's stomach until the wound closed.

"**Why did you do that?**" The snake asked, irritated.

Ryder smirked and tucked the little silver box away – it had severed him well in the Chamber of Secrets, and now here – and smiled. "**I am unfortunate enough to know his hatchlings. They are very annoying when upset. If he dies, his hatchlings will annoy me and give me a headache. What is your name and do you have a master?**" Ryder pinched himself; the only way he knew to wake himself up.

"**I pity you**." She didn't sound very sympathetic, but Ryder gave her the benefit of the doubt. "**I am called Nagini, and my master is the powerful and feared Lord Voldemort!**"

Ryder groaned; it figured. Everything went fuzzy. "**What's behind that door?**" If she answered, Ryder never found out because he was already awake.

The banging at the door was what finally convinced him to get out of the bed. He groaned and tripped over something on the floor. His hands covered his mouth to muffle the scream he was dying to let out. At his feet was Nagini the King Cobra.

And, at the door was Albus Dumbledore. Not a good combination.

As the door opened, Ryder checked to make sure his 'skin' was in place and shoved Nagini under the bed with his foot. He rubbed his eyes, as if he had only just woken up, and moved his hand towards the doorknob. He made sure he looked surprised when the door opened without him unlocking it. "Headmaster!" He called out. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to pick you up, my boy. You can spend the rest of the summer with me." Dumbledore smiled benignly.

Harry ran around the room, pretending to pack and trying to appear excited. "At Hogwarts, sir?"

"No, my boy. You'll see when we get there." Dumbledore turned and left the room. "I'll just go speak with your relatives, Harry, hurry now."

Harry left his trunk open on the floor. "**Get in**," he hissed as quietly as he could. He watched the door like a Hawke as Nagini slithered into his trunk, before he hid her under some of his robes. He locked his trunk and cast a weightless charm on it with his blood oak wand, and began to drag it out of the room behind him. The snake gave an angry hiss from inside the trunk as it tilted sideways, so Harry cast a silencing charm over it as well.

"Have you been treating him badly? He isn't as subservient as I expected him to be?" Harry paused at the top of the stairs as he heard Dumbledore's voice filter up to him. He was very tempted to let Nagini out of the trunk and sick her on him.

"W-We have," Vernon stuttered, lying through his teeth. "Now get out!"

"We don't want your freak kind here!" Dudley shouted from the sofa, where he was tucked up with blankets and lots of chocolate. Ryder almost laughed. It was a 'freak' that had saved Dudley's life, last night, but they still seem to think it was Harry that had done something to Dudley, not the Dementors.

"Now, now," Dumbledore smiled, "none of that with me. Use it on Harry as much as you like though."

Ryder growled; did Dumbledore forget he was there? That he wouldn't be able to hear them? He shrugged and began to make as much noise as possible as he pulled the weightless trunk down the stairs, making a show of how heavy it was.

"Ah, there you are my boy. We were getting worried," the Dursley's glared at him and then at Dumbledore. He stared back evenly, before smiling and flashing his fangs at them menacingly.

Dudley squeaked. "Yeah, worried, right," Vernon muttered.

"Can we go, Sir?" Harry asked, trying to sound polite.

The Headmaster produced a Portkey and, when they got to the end of the road, Harry touched it with the tip of his finger and made sure to fall over upon landing. A piece of paper was thrust into his hand without a word. '_My Secret is Number 12, Grimmauld Place, Albus_' it read. Harry mumbled it out loud. The second he had said the man's name; Dumbledore set the note on fire.

"Look around, my boy." In front of him were Number 11, Grimmauld Place and Number 13… He squinted and a new house appeared: Number 12 seemed to pop into existence between the two houses as the burning note turned to ashes. "Welcome, to the Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix."

More Light Sided prats, Ryder thought, oh joy!

_XXX_

Ryder banged his head against the headboard of his bed.

He had a room right beside Sirius'. It was Sirius' family Manor, so Sirius had chosen where Harry slept. The only problem was that since Arthur had been in St. Mungos, the Weasley's didn't feel safe in their home and were living at Grimmauld Place now. And Ron Weasley decided he could not sleep anywhere but with his bestest friend, Harry.

The boy's snoring was driving him around the bend!

Not to mention, he liked his privacy. The only two people he could stand to spend countless hours with, without interruption, were Rose and Draco. Definitely not Ron Weasley: who kept sticking his oar in when ever Ryder did something.

Harry got out a book: "what you reading, mate?"

Harry got out a schoolbook: "you're turning into Hermione, mate!"

Harry got out a magazine: "blimey, what's that? The pictures don't even move."

Harry got out a chessboard: "I'll play you a game, mate? Bet I can beat you."

Harry's trunk started rattling, because Harry forgot to let Nagini out: "bloody hell, mate, there's a Bogart in your trunk. I'll get Mum!"

Harry tried to sleep: "are you awake, mate? You think Dad'll be ok? Hey, are you asleep?"

Harry took a shit: "hey, Harry, can I use the bathroom? I really need to pee!"

Harry really wanted to kill Ron Weasley right now. He was sorely tempted to move into Sirius' room, but he knew that Remus would be in there… making up for lost time. And Ryder had no wish to be scared mentally for life.

Instead, he had wandered around; practically insane before finding a corridor no one in the house seemed to know existed. Gratefully, no body did know about it. Now, Harry spent most of his day hidden away in the rooms down that corridor – sometimes with Remus and Sirius, who he told – with Nagini, who still hadn't left.

Neither of them knew how she came to be in Harry Potter's bedroom. As far as she knew, she had been sent to find the same room Ryder had been walking towards, and the next thing she knew he was there, when he wasn't meant to be. Then she had answered his question as he woke up. For whatever reason, he had taken her with him when he woke. She happily informed him, after being let out of the trunk, that Voldemort was very unhappy with him for kidnapping his familiar.

"I didn't kidnap you! You-" He frowned, "kidnapped yourself!" He shouted, and then feeling stupid changed the conversation.

Today, however, he was not to be left alone. He had left the bed though and made it to his corridor. But the moment he arrived, Arthur Weasley got back from the Ministry – he had been out of St. Mungos a week now – demanding to see Harry. But no one could find him.

That, unfortunately, made him very late for his trial. Not to mention, they changed the location and didn't tell him. Apparently, someone just didn't like him!

_XXX_

"Hem, hem," Ryder slammed his head against his desk as the Defence Professor entered the room. "Put away your wands, you won't be needing them." Everyone was used to this by now, so no one really complained. Harry still gave a token protest though, after all he was expected to.

"Get out your text books," Delores Umbridge ordered, smacking the black board with a riding crop. "And I want five inches on the benefits of sterilizing creatures by the end of class."

Hermione looked outraged. "But Professor! That's unthinkable! It's discrimination! You can't sterilize someone because of their blood." Umbridge turned to glare at her. "It's— it's like Hitler and the Jews! It's like-"

"Fifty points from Gryffindor," Umbridge shouted as she hit the board again. Her hand moved to her desk and she began to finger a large black-feathered quill that lay innocently on top of some paper. Ryder's eyes widened; he knew what they quill was, and it was anything but innocent.

A blood quill was sometimes used to sign important documents in blood. Used once or twice it would not scar, but if used regularly, you ended up with whatever you wrote etched permanently into the back of your hand. And no magic could remove it. It drew blood with every word, and hurt like a bitch not to mention.

He cursed himself as he opened his mouth, but if anyone was going to have a blood quill used on them, Ryder suspected Umbridge would want it to be him. "It's like the Dark Lord, wouldn't you say Professor?" He grinned as her eyes narrowed. "Oops, I meant Voldemort!" Everyone in the class shuddered.

"Detention, Potter. Tonight, with me," she picked up the quill and ran the feather under her chin as she smirked at him, obviously pleased with herself.

Ryder shrugged mentally, he may have a horrid scar on his hand but only when he was wearing the rune 'skin'; it would disappear when the 'skin' was off, so he really had nothing to lose. And he could always sue her at the end of the year! Granger wouldn't be able to do much, especially without Wizarding lawyers. His family had about 15; surely his Father would give him five to bring Umbridge to her knees.

He jumped out of his seat. "Yes, Sir, tonight, Sir," he intoned, his hand moving to his forehead to salute the woman as if he were a soldier.

"Detention tomorrow!" She screamed. He was tempted to tease her again, but Hermione squeezed his arm and he slid back into his chair, and stayed quiet for the rest of the lesson. Although, he didn't bother to do his essay: wasn't all that much point considering he already had detention.

_XXX_

"**You are bleeding Snakeling**?" Nagini asked as he entered the Gryffindor 5th year boy's dorm, in the Tower. She had taken to calling him 'Snakeling' ever since he asked her why he wasn't called 'snake-child', in his dream.

"**Yeah, she made me write 700 lines with a blood quill. I had to go to the Infirmary to get a blood replenishing potion**." Ryder scowled and threw himself on his bed, beside the large snake that had yet to go home. For a Vampyre to need blood replenishing potions was almost unheard of, unless they were nearly starved. They made new blood cells sixteen times faster than normal humans.

She let out an angry hiss then said, "**it is good you are Vampyre or you would have fainted from blood loss by the 200th line**." If snakes could scowl, she would have been scowling then. "**May I eat her, Snakeling**?"

Ryder just shook his head 'no'. Nagini moved over to Harry's hand, which was resting on his stomach and flicked her tongue over his half-healed wound. "**What does it say?**"

"**I Must Not Tell Lies**," Harry let out an exhausted laugh. "**They don't quite believe Voldemort is back**."

"**Then why did you tell them?**" She seemed genuinely curious. And at the moment, Ryder didn't really care if Voldemort found out about his false identity early or not; he was just so fed up with Hogwarts!

"**They expected it of Harry Potter**." He stood up and began to change into his pyjamas. He couldn't be arsed to go to dinner tonight.

She made herself rise off the bed and fixed him with an accusing glare, "**are you not Harry Potter, Snakeling?**"

He smiled, "**no, I'm not**." And no matter how much she begged or whined or threatened him for the rest of the night, he would not tell Nagini what he meant.

_XXX_

"BITCH!" Harry screamed as he began throwing things around his dormitory. The other 5th year boy watched worriedly from the doorway as Harry trashed the place. "Fucking stupid COW!" He roared, before all the anger seemed to melt away and he collapsed exhausted onto the floor.

"What's wrong mate?" Ron asked looking concerned but wary.

"She fucking banned me!" Harry rubbed his eyes angrily. "She banned me!" He laughed, but he didn't sound amused. Dean Thomas swallowed and stepped out of the room, his body trembling. Harry had sounded a lot like Voldemort had been claimed to, angry, insane, scary, when he laughed. "She gave me a lifelong Quidditch ban! We have a match against Slytherin next week!"

"Harry!" Ron shouted, forgetting his concern completely. "What the hell were you thinking? How could you have been banned? Now?" He looked disgusted and stormed out of the room. Harry gritted his teeth and screamed again before he threw a shoe after Ron.

"I hope it hits you, you GIT!" He panted angrily. Seamus believed all the lies the Daily Prophet was spewing about him – that he was lying and attention seeking – and didn't even bother trying to comfort his roommate. He glared at Harry angrily as he left the room.

Neville frowned, "Harry?" He asked quietly. Out of all the Gryffindor's, Neville was the only one he could stand to be around. "You any better now?"

"A bit," Harry sniffed. He was desperately trying not to cry.

"I doubt if I would be able to cope. Having something I loved taken from me, like that. I mean my Gran is well pleased that I'm so good at Herbology! If she ever banned me from the garden, I think I'd go insane, you know."

"I'm going to kill her," Harry hissed. His eyes had gone red – so much for not having enough Vampyre blood in him to go through blood lust.

Blood lust happened to born-Vampyres and Vampires that were insanely angry. Usually it happened while they were protecting either their mates or their children. Ryder however shouldn't have been going through blood lust as he wasn't a born Vampyre like Rose was.

Neville touched Harry on the shoulder. With a squeak Neville found himself pinned to the wall as Harry growled at him. "Harry! It's me! I can't-" he was cut off as he fought to get air into his lungs. Harry dropped him abruptly.

"Infirmary," he ordered. Neville jumped to his feet, panting, and grabbed Harry's invisibility cloak. He threw it over the brunette and led him from the room, trying not to shake with fear.

"What happened?" He asked as they waited for Madame Pomfrey to come out of her Office.

"I'm part-Vampyre. I just went into blood lust." Ryder said quietly, staring at the wall over Neville's head. He had calmed down now, but he needed a special potion and to get it, he would need Neville to distract Pomfrey.

"You are lucky, Mr. Longbottom. If he had been full- or born-Vampyre you would be little more than a bloody smudge on the floor." Poppy Pomfrey gave a cold smile as she bustled into the room. "Drink up, Mr. Hammond." She passed a vial filled with black liquid to Ryder.

"You know?" He asked shocked.

"I saw you with Mr. Malfoy after the Hippogriff incident. I didn't tell a soul, I promise." He smiled and downed the potion. Immediately his eyes changed from red to Killing Curse green, and his 'skin' came down.

"Who are you?" Neville breathed, blushing slightly.

"This is how I really look." Ryder smiled, his eyeteeth winking at Neville. "Don't tell anyone, understand?" He made it sound like a threat, even though he didn't even look at Neville or raise his voice or anything.

The other Wizard gulped and nodded, "I swear on my magic." They were both engulfed in a white light and Ryder stood from the bed, satisfied.

"Thank you both." He quickly built his 'skin' up around him again as he headed towards the door. "I need to borrow your fireplace," he didn't wait for Pomfrey's answer. He merely walked into her office, called out his destination, and jumped into the fireplace.

_XXX_

Rowena gave him a frustrated glare as he paced in Rose's bedroom. "I can't fix it!" She shouted. "I can't fix everything, you know!"

"I'm sorry," he had only suggested she get rid of Umbridge before he got himself sent to Azkaban.

"Console yourself," she suggested, "you will pass your OWL anyway, and if you don't you already have an OWL in Defence. And Miss. Delores will not be there next year. The position is cursed."

"Is it really?" Rowena just nodded. "Good riddance," he hissed. "Oh by the way, why won't Nagini go home?" He had told her, in a letter he gave to Lucius when he visited the school, about Nagini appearing after one of his dreams, and all about the corridor. She had said it was in the Department of Mysteries and Voldemort was probably searching for the prophecy Dumbledore supposedly leaked to him.

"Maybe she just likes you Snakeling?" Rose teased as her eyes turned green, before going back to blue. "She probably can't." Rowena added. "You must have bonded her, or something similar, while you were sleeping. She can't leave until you release, most likely."

"Or she bonded to you," Sirius offered as he entered the room without knocking. "Her master is your Sister's mate. Maybe she's hoping you'll lead her to Rose? You smell like Rose, right?"

"Possibly." Ryder allowed. Before he rushed to hug his Godfather.

"Do not leave Grimmauld Place unless you are going somewhere safe." Rowena ordered suddenly, her eyes had gone glassy and unfocused. "Do not go to the Department of Mysteries. The corridor only leads to death; do not follow!" Her eyes were normal again. "What did I say?"

"That was the worst prophecy I ever heard," Ryder snorted. "But do as she tells you!" He ordered Sirius.

_XXX_

The corridor seemed to stretch on forever, Ryder thought, as he and his 'friends' walked along it. They were searching for Sirius Black.

Harry had been fully prepared to go alone, but then Hermione wouldn't leave him, nor would his stalker Ginny, and Ron had finally forgiven him for being kicked off the Quidditch team and decided he was going along. Luna Lovegood had agreed, not wanting to be left behind. And Neville, since he had found out about Ryder's Vampyre blood, was the boy's real best friend. So he wanted to come along as well.

On Thestral back they had flown across the skies of London and towards the Ministry, from Scotland. Thestrals were large, black, skeletal horses that were only visible to those that had seen death, up close and personal. Only Luna – whose Mother had died with her in the room – and Harry could see them, the others just held on tightly and closed their eyes.

So far, no one had seen Sirius, nor any Death Eaters. But it was only a matter of time, Ryder knew.

Maybe Sirius wasn't even here, maybe he had done what Rowena told him and stayed at Grimmauld Place. It was possible that Voldemort only wanted to lure Harry out to get his snake back or kidnap Harry or even use Harry to get the prophecy that supposedly exists. He really shouldn't have brought the others, he realized. He couldn't speak freely with them here!

"What's that?" Ron asked pointing as they opened the locked door and walked into a new room.

The room was filled with bookshelves. Each bookshelf was packed up with small, spheres that glowed and sparkled like magical crystals. "Prophecies!" Luna breathed, awestruck.

Pay dirt, Ryder thought as he gave himself a mental high-five. He began to search for the 'P's' or the 'V's'. He found the Prophecy he was looking for under 'Potter, Harry' and picked it up. Then he noticed there was a second tucked away behind the first. The one at the front, Ryder noticed, didn't sparkle like the second one did.

"It's a fake," he muttered.

"Hand it over, Potter," a voice from behind him ordered. Harry spun around to end up at wand point. Lucius Malfoy glared at Harry through the eye slits in his skull mask, a lock of his hair falling out of his black hood. "Now, or your friends get hurt."

What to do? Ryder thought. Which one to give, fake or real?

His friends were held at the wand point of five other Death Eaters. They all looked scared, staring pleadingly at Harry. He sighed.

"Voldy couldn't have known I'd bring friends," he grinned. "He sent all six of you for me? I'm chuffed to bits, really!"

Bellatrix Lestrange growled and stepped forward, poking Ginny with her wand, "how dare you, you impudent little brat! You will not butcher his name! Lord Voldemort is to be respected, you don't even deserve to be in his presence."

"Nor do you, notice how he isn't here," Ryder grinned and Lucius groaned. There Lucius was, trying to get Ryder and his friends out of this mess alive, and what does Ryder do? He goads the opposition. Way to make Lucius' job harder for him! Harry reached a hand down the top of his robe and hissed, "**Is Tom here Nagini**?"

"**He is not, shall I fetch him**?" Nagini had been shrunk so she would fit around Harry's waist.

"**Tell him to call them off**," Ryder ordered as Nagini dropped to the floor and slithered away. "**Or I'll tell his Mate on him!**" The teenager actually laughed at the hiss the snake let out.

His friends gasped as the King Cobra appeared head first from under the hem of Harry Potter's shirt and began to slither down to the floor, becoming her full size in the process. The Death Eaters tensed at the sight of their Lord's familiar.

"Harry!" Hermione screamed.

He looked at Lucius who gave a brief nod and lowered his wand. "Obliviate," he shouted. Lucius followed suit, until four of the five teenagers forgot a snake had even been in the room. Neville was shaking at the end of Rudolphus Lestrange's wand, but he kept his mouth shut.

"Reducto," Harry shouted at the shelf behind his friends. It exploded onto the Death Eaters who dived out of the way and left the teenagers free to make a break for it. They ran, and Harry offered Lucius a shrug and a smirk before running too.

They made it to the anti-chamber before the Order member's burst in and ruined what would have been a wonderful escape. Ryder had been hoping to get out before Dumbledore even knew he was gone; he did not want Dumbledore to know he knew about any prophecy, let alone a fake one.

Lucius caught a glare Ryder shot him, and grabbed hold of his emergency Portkey and disappeared before he could be captured. The three Lestrange's got away as well. The Order members captured Goyle Sr. and Avery. And when Minister Fudge showed up moments later, he was forced to admit that maybe, there was a possibility that Lord Voldemort, might have, returned.

Ryder smirked and pulled out his time turner when no one was watching.

"Hello Tom," he entered another anti-chamber as the battle went on between Order members and Death Eaters, for a second time. He made sure to stay away from the doorway so the other Harry didn't see him.

Voldemort looked him up and down before smirking. He had hair! Ryder smirked as he noticed the changes in the elder Wizard. He actually looked 29-years-old now: human rather than like a snake. Rose would definitely not have a problem with how Voldemort looked now. Ryder smirked back at him.

"She is a relative of yours?" Voldemort asked as Nagini coiled her way up his body.

"She is," Harry pulled both prophecies out of his pocket. "Shall we? One is a fake by the way."

"I suggest we listen to that one first." Ryder threw the dull sphere to the floor, blinking as it shattered.

A ghostly figure of Professor Trelawney drifted out of the pile of broken glass and began to speak. '_The one with the power to defeat the Dark Lord approaches… Born as the seventh month dies…_' Ryder tuned out after the second line, not really interested in Dumbledore's insane daydreams.

"And the second?" The sparkling sphere was dropped to the floor. It continued to shimmer, even while broken.

'_The one with the power to defeat the Dark Lord approaches… Born as the 7th month dies… He shall be forced into the roll he does not want… He will be given no choice… The Sister is really His saviour… But she will corrupt Him… The Dark Lord shall not be defeated this time…_'

Voldemort hummed lightly after hearing them both. "'She' would be my Mate I suppose?"

"She would be." Ryder kicked the glass into the closest corner, out of sight. "Her name is Rose Robin."

"_She is named after my Daughter_," Salazar informed him. "_Robin Sears_." Tom kept quiet, and Voldemort merely rolled his eyes.

"And your name, boy?" Voldemort asked the child he had always thought was Harry Potter.

"Harry Potter during the school year. Other wise, I am Ryder Ravyn Hammond. Rose's twin." He gave a small bow. "You will keep this quiet until Rose and I are of age, understood?" Voldemort gave the barest of nods. If only to please his Mate, he decided. "She did it to save you, you know."

"Did what?" He turned towards the door.

"I did not defeat in Godric's Hollow. She did." He smiled at the shocked look that crossed Voldemort's face. "She did it to save you." He had to run to get back to where he should have been standing, had he not used the time turner.

Voldemort was still in the room, staring at where Ryder had stood. "To save me?"

"_From your madness_," Salazar spoke up. "_Death saved your mind_."

"_From ourself_," Tom added. "_She's saving your soul; what's left of it_."

_XXX_

"So, pet, what happened this year?" Ryder asked as Draco curled against his side, in the Malfoy's Mercedes Benz.

Draco launched into a detailed explanation finishing with, "oh, I forgot. I joined Umbridge's Inquisition Squad."

"Inquisitions are never a good thing; people – usually innocent – tend to die." Ryder pointed out. He hadn't quite forgiven Draco for being one of the people to help Umbridge ruin his life. What was the point of having Draco fancy him as 'Harry' if he wasn't going to be any help?

"I know," Draco pouted. "I thought you'd be pleased. I mean… I was making life hard for Dumbledore."

"You were also probably driving Potter around the bend," Ryder pointed out. Draco blushed.

"She tried to Crucio him, you know." Ryder raised an eyebrow. The conversation carried on until they reached Malfoy Manor. Ryder flooed to Lestrange Manor rather than walk. There the three Azkaban escapees were sitting in his parlour with his parents and Sister, looking cranky as hell.

"Oh balls, what now?" He demanded as he flung himself down into a seat, pouting.

"We have a slight problem," Atticus informed him. In the corner of the room, Sirius Black actually laughed at his expense.

**XXX**

Anyway, there is 5th year. I can't wait till the 5th film comes out! (It's March 19th as I'm writing this) so there is 116 days till July 13th YAY!

Also, Viktor Krum does not know that Voldemort is Rose's mate. He only found out she was a host by accident. He asked her out to protect her from 'boyfriends' who might use her, while she was waiting for Voldemort. He did like her, and she did like him. They broke up so he could go to the Yule Ball with Hermione and never got back together. Just clearing that up.

Secondly, I will be changing a lot of HBP… because I didn't like that much of it (e.g. the Ginny and Harry parts).

Please review thank you… again I expect at least 10: but if you want to leave 20 I won't mind!


	9. Draco's Task

Yay! New chapter. Thanks for all the reviews so far. For once, I haven't got anything to bitch about. WOLF IS 111 A4 PAGES NOW, YAY!

**Words: ** 7,148

**Chapter 9**

**Draco's Task**

For centuries the teaching staff at Hogwarts had always gotten home before the students: mainly because the train journey was so much longer than flooing. In this case, Severus Snape arrived at his home six hours before Draco and Ryder arrived at Malfoy Manor.

Spinners End wasn't a very pleasant place to live; it was dark and dirty, run down and poverty stricken. But Severus didn't particularly care. As a Potions Master he had enough galleons to buy himself a nice house to spend the summers in, but he never really spent the summer in Spinners End. He was usually at the Malfoy's or at Hogwarts.

But it wasn't only for that reason. As a child, his Father had despised him for being like his Mother – magical. His Father was a Muggle, and Severus didn't particularly like to broadcast that fact although he wouldn't deny it either. Growing up in Severus' home wasn't a very pleasant experience. Everything he did he was scolded for, everything he accomplished he was told he could have done better, anything he did better than Tobias Snape he was beaten for.

His Father had taken over his Mother's ancestral home and when Eileen Prince got enough courage to run from her Husband, she and Severus only took what ever they could carry and had no where to go.

They had spent a while at Malfoy Manor, but Abraxas Malfoy wasn't the nicest man, and his Mother soon decided that starving to death in the streets was better than fending off the Malfoy Lord's advances. They rented a room in the Leaky Cauldron after that, but they only had enough money for a single-bed room between them, for a week at most. Eileen got a job cleaning the rooms at the pub. Thom, the barman and owner, gave them their room at half the usual price from then on.

The house at Spinners End was the first place Eileen Prince could afford for herself and her Son. And Severus cherished the broken, empty house because it held his only good memories of his Mother.

Six hours before the boys got to Malfoy Manor, Severus had left his fireplace and sank gratefully into one of his comfortable black armchairs. He had been sitting for exactly 2 minutes and 43 seconds before his fireplace sprang to life and Narcissa Malfoy stepped out along with her Sister.

Bellatrix Lestrange had once been a Black – a Cousin of Sirius. She had married Rudolphus Lestrange straight out of school. After the fall of Voldemort, she, her Husband and Rabastian – her Brother-in-Law – were sent to Azkaban because they refused to denounce Voldemort. She had been broken out, along with the two Lestrange men, after Harry's fourth year.

Narcissa's eyes were puffy and rimmed in red, her bottom lip was swollen from being chewed on and her hands were shaking. Severus stood and led her to the second armchair. She slid into the leather, her shoulders shaking, as tears began to slip from her eyes again.

"Oh Severus, my only Son," she muttered and the dark haired man frowned. He had no idea what she was on about but he knew it had to be bad.

"Narcissa, calm yourself." He muttered, trying to console her, "Bellatrix if you would explain."

She grinned and her eyes twinkled in an insane way, unlike Dumbledore's her eyes twinkled with malice. "My Nephew was chosen for the exalted task of disposing of Dumbledore!" She cooed and Narcissa's sobs renewed. "He will be marked once he returns home."

Severus drew in a deep breath; Ryder would not be happy. Merlin knows that boy was highly possessive of Draco; to have another's mark on the blond would drive the Vampyre into a rage. "It is set in stone?"

"Oh yes, and Draco will make our Lord a fine servant. He will probably take Lucius' place as His most trusted in time!" Bellatrix seemed very pleased with the development; never having the inclination to have children of her own, she took great pride in her Nephews accomplishments.

"My poor baby, my only Son," Narcissa sobbed again. Severus could see where she was coming from. No one yet had been able to kill Albus Dumbledore, and Draco's chances were neither high nor favourable. The boy was, in one word, doomed. If he failed, Voldemort would kill him and if he succeeded the Wizarding World would rip him apart.

"There may be a way I can protect him," Severus offered hesitantly. Narcissa's eyes brightened for a moment and her shoulders stopped shaking. "I will give an Unbreakable Vow. Bellatrix, if you would preside."

She looked angry, but she held her wand out anyway. "Severus Snape, do you give your word that you will watch over Draco as he performs this task?" Narcissa asked, her hands clenched in her lap.

"I will."

"Do you swear you will protect him in any way you can?"

"I will." He swore again.

"And," she continued, "Should Draco fail in his task, will you swear you will carry out the deed in his place?" Bellatrix looked horrified. Her face had taken on a pinched expression as if Narcissa had just slapped her across the face and told her she was a bad Death Eater.

Severus wasn't really surprised, "I will." Red light shot out of the end of Bellatrix's wand and wrapped itself around Narcissa and Severus' joined hands, like a snake, before settling into a figure eight and disappearing. The two let go of each other's hands, and calmly Narcissa stood and stepped into the fireplace. Bellatrix followed, grumpily.

_XXX_

Draco Malfoy waved goodbye to his boyfriend as Ryder began to spin in the fireplace, before disappearing from sight. His Mother and Father stood, stoically, behind him. Narcissa looked as if she had been crying. Draco smiled hesitantly. Narcissa hadn't gone to Kings Cross for him this time, and he was rather worried about how she looked.

"Mother, are you ill?" He asked, slowly moving forward to hug her. Beside her, Lucius flinched.

"We need to speak Draconais." He said. Draco frowned; he was only called that when he was in major trouble, or something really important was being discussed. "Follow us," he took Narcissa by the elbow, and led the way to his private Study.

Draco took a seat, as did his Mother. Lucius remained standing and began to pace. "You are to be Marked," he said, his voice low and pained. "I am loyal to my Lord, Draco, but I am loyal to my family as well. I love you and I want you to serve with me, but I want to keep you safe simultaneously. He may kill you if you refuse."

Draco, it seemed, hadn't been listening since he heard the word 'marked'. "Ryder won't be happy." He whispered. Vampyre's were notoriously possessive of their Mates, and it was only one year from then till Draco' maturity so Ryder would be even more overbearing. Not to mention they hardly saw each other.

"He will understand." Lucius promised. Narcissa couldn't bring herself to speak.

"Is it hard? My task?" Draco asked, hopefully. He flinched at the sad look that crossed his Father's face, "of course it is. Nothing but the most challenging for a Malfoy." He gave a humourless laugh. "Will I die?" No one answered him. "Can I tell Ryder? He'll need to understand why I'm de-"

"You WON'T die," Narcissa jumped out of her seat and cried. "Severus will protect you."

"Ryder can protect me," Draco challenged.

"He can do nothing," she hissed. "He is not from a family like ours," meaning Death Eaters, of course. "He is a child, Draco. Like you, would you truly drag him into all this?"

"That was low, Mother," the blond teenager whispered. He would do anything to keep Ryder safe, even if they weren't as close as they used to be, he still loved the other boy immensely. "I won't tell him, I promise." Narcissa sat down again. "When am I to be Marked?"

"Now," Lucius said, just as the study door opened and Lord Voldemort sauntered in, flanked by Peter Pettigrew.

_XXX_

The three Lestrange's had been broken out of Azkaban a year earlier. At first they hadn't much cared about their wayward Cousin, Atticus. Until they realized the man's Son would marry Draco Malfoy. And so they began to investigate. Happily, they found that Atticus had married a Pureblood – they had been worried that the man was completely against their ways.

And then, Atticus had surprised them one time. While they were spying on him, Atticus had been watching them. Laughing quietly, the Vampyre Lord had snuck up behind the three escapees and growled. All three Lestrange's had jumped a foot in the air. Atticus Rochairt had invoked Familial Agreements, and when Bellatrix found out about Draco being Marked, she had been sworn to tell Atticus.

Unhappily, the three loitered around the edge of the room. In the other corner, Sirius Black and Remus Lupin stood. Sirius was, for some unexplained reason, declared as dead when he didn't show up at the Department of Mysteries. Ryder had an inkling it had something to do with Dumbledore. Whatever the reason, that made Ryder Lord of House Black.

"Oh balls, what now?" He demanded as he flung himself down into a seat, pouting.

"We have a slight problem," Atticus informed him. In the corner of the room, Sirius Black began to laugh. Ryder glared at him.

He raised an eyebrow at his Father and waited. It was Bellatrix who spoke. "My Nephew is in the process of being Marked." Ryder stood but slumped back into the chair when Atticus shook his head. "He will be one of Our Lord's most trusted. His first task is to kill Albus Dumbledore."

Ryder looked slightly ill, but Rowena looked outraged. "He can't! Dumbledore is mine," she hissed and Bellatrix actually flinched away from the sound.

"Our Lord can do as he wishes! Our Lord is all powerful!" Bellatrix crowed.

"Says you. I'll ban Rose from mating with him," she huffed, ignoring the fact that she then would be unable to mate with Salazar. "I'm going to put an end to this farce." She stood. As she was speaking the fireplace had sprung to life and Lucius Malfoy had stepped out.

"It's too late," he whispered looking at Ryder.

The brunette let out a growl, "if anything, and I mean anything, happens to Draco because of Voldemort, I will kill him." He snarled, "sorry Rowena." She shrugged and wondered idly if that meant she was going to have to go back to school, some generations on from now.

No body responded to the statement. Lucius helped himself to a shifter of Port and when Narcissa didn't follow through the floo, Bellatrix went to her.

"Can I see Draco?"

"No," Lucius answered, staring into his glass. "He doesn't wish to see you. He is afraid you will be able to sense he had a Dark Mark, and will hate him." Ryder looked over at Lucius and shook his head. "I know you won't, but Draco is in shock. He won't listen to reason."

"I won't tell him I know, if it makes it any better." Lucius smiled.

"We have bigger problems, at present," Rowena said breaking the newly descended silence. "Dumbledore is on his way to Number 4 as we speak." Ryder left the room cursing at the top of his voice in Gaelic.

_XXX_

Horace Slughorn's house was small but nicely furnished. Although, Harry thought, he could do with redecorating. The floral wallpaper was a bit dated and turning grey with age. The man had just agreed to be a Professor at Hogwarts, after being retired since the last War. Harry hated the way the man stared at him. It was nothing like Quirrell used to, but it was still unnerving. It reminded him of Gilderoy Lockhart; attention seeking, trying to gain fame through Harry, because he had none of his own, not really. Harry swallowed.

"My boy, you should come and have tea with me sometime," Horace offered with a sweet smile. Harry had the urge to bang his head off a wall; he knew it, the man was a user.

"Headmaster, don't we have to be at the Weasley's?" He subtly tried to make the man leave. So far, he had been too subtly.

"Look at the time! Sorry Horace, old friend, we'll have to be leaving you." Bout fucking time, Harry nearly screamed.

_XXX_

Bill was getting married to the French Veela from the Tri-Wizard Tournament. The thought kept running through his mind as he wandered down Diagon Alley with the Weasley's. They are getting married. Harry let out a small growl. They were trying to steal his and Draco's limelight! How dare they! He was engaged first! He shook his head; he knew he was being ridiculous, but he couldn't help it. He'd been behaving strangely since he heard that Draco was a Death Eater.

Rowena had said the Mark was removable, but that didn't change the fact that Voldemort had claimed someone that already belonged to Ryder. If the man wasn't Rose's mate, he would be twenty-six feet under by now.

Ginny Weasley had taken to stalking him again. How droll. She smiled sweetly up at him, and linked arms with him. He tried very hard not to shudder. He pretended to trip up, so he could unlink his arm from hers. "Oh Harry, are you ok?" She tried to pick him up but he 'fell' again and she fell with him.

"I'm so sorry Ginny," he said insincerely as he tried to help her up but let go of her hand too soon. "Sorry again," he said as she fell on her arse again. When she finally got up, after she begged Harry to stop helping her, it was easy to guess she didn't try to link arms with him again.

Hours later, or what felt like hours, Harry caught sight of Draco's stunning blond hair bob past a window. He looked over and smiled as he caught sight of his love heading into Knockturn Alley. He cast a quick glamour on himself, and with brown hair and brown eyes he slipped away form his 'friends' and followed after the blond.

"I need it fixed soon," Draco ordered Mr. Burke, "He will not be pleased if it isn't completed on time." He pulled up the sleeve of his left arm, and Mr. Burke gasped. "And keep the other one safe while you're at it." He threw a handful of Galleons down onto the counter and left Borgin & Burkes.

Ryder stayed where he was, in the corner of the shop and thought for a minute. "Imperio," he whispered with his wand pointed at the shop owner. "What was Malfoy doing?"

"He wanted me to fix the Vanishing Cabinet for him. I have to hold onto the matching Cabinet until the first is fixed." Burke intoned. His eyes began to clear as Ryder turned and strode out of the shop. He wouldn't sabotage Draco's efforts, because that would surely get the boy in trouble. But, if he knew what Draco was planning, he could help.

"Hey mate," Ron called as he lowered the glamour and made his way into the Twin's new joke shop – that his money had funded. "Where'd you go? I could have come with you."

Harry jumps off a bridge: "Oi, I'm coming too! Don't think you're doing anything without me, mate."

He rolled his eyes, "nothing. Just got a bit left behind." Ronald Weasley needed to get an imagination, or some initiative or something. For Merlin's sake, he was forever following Harry around or doing what Hermione told him. The boy was such a pain!

_XXX_

Harry groaned his way through the first meeting of the Slug Club. As he had thought, Horace Slughorn was one of those people that lived off the strengths of other's and had been doing so for years. He was particularly fond of Tom Riddle's magical strength. His new favourite, was Harry Potter's fame.

He didn't invite Draco, Harry noticed. Then again, the man seemed to be very anti-Death Eater. Blaise Zabini, who was and always would be neutral, sat in the corner of Slughorn's train compartment.

Ryder had always like Blaise. He always defended Draco from everyone, and he made sure to keep Pansy away from him (since she found out about the Marriage Contract). They had gotten along well, better than well, because Ryder was likewise neutral.

"…Teaching Potions this year," Harry heard Slughorn say, "I'm a Potions Master, didn't you know?" Harry groaned; if this wasn't the Defence teacher, that meant Snape was.

_XXX_

Ryder rather enjoyed having Slughorn as a Potions Professor; Draco didn't though. And what was even better, after he had forgotten his copy of Advanced Potions Making, Slughorn had borrowed him a school copy. His new school copy came complete with hand written notes, presumably put there by the books last owner.

Whoever it was, Harry wanted to kiss them, it meant he could do well in Potions and get an 'O' without having to think of an excuse to his friends. He couldn't do well for Snape, because the man would recognize his brewing technique to be the same as Ryder's.

_Crush the berry with the pommel of a silver knife_. Ryder did as the note instructed and far more juice pooled out than it did when the rest of the class crushed it between their fingers.

His Potion was the best in the class, which would have been expected at Durmstrang but not here. "Well done, Mr. Potter. And as promised, here is a vial of Felix Felicis potion." Ryder shrugged and pocketed the vial. While he could make the potion himself, it was nice to be praised. He could get used to it, in face. With a grin he hugged the old copy of Advance Potions Making closer to his chest.

He'd have to swap the cover with the cover on his brand new book. There was no way he was giving this copy up without memorizing every note that was in it.

_XXX_

Draco Malfoy had been made Prefect that year. That meant he got his own room with access to the Prefects Bathroom. It also meant that when, his task wasn't going so well and, he wanted to break down and cry he could. First, he had debated telling Ryder. But he was so afraid the Vampyre might reject him, he couldn't bring himself to share the bad news.

Then he had ended up being followed all over the train by Harry Potter, until the boy had left for the Slug Club – to which HE had NOT been invited. Of course, Burke wouldn't finish with those Cabinets for a while, so Draco had to think of things to do in between now and then encase Dumbledore grew suspicious.

The man knew someone was out for him this year, but not who. Draco refused to act only when Dumbledore had time to narrow down the options. It was much better act now and waste Dumbledore's time, so he had none to think.

Draco threw himself down on his bed and sobbed. It was a Hogsmeade weekend after Friday, and it was the perfect time to start his plan. He had already bought the necklace, in Borgin & Burkes, now all he had to do was give it to someone to give to Dumbledore.

He wiped his eyes and sat up on the bed. How he wished Ryder was there to hug him.

_XXX_

Draco was shaking like a leaf. It was their first apparition lesson and he was too nervous. His first attempt to kill Dumbledore had gone so wrong. A seventh year named Katie Bell was in St. Mungos because she had opened the package before Dumbledore could get it. Draco had almost killed another student. He would be expelled and sent to Azkaban. He'd fail in his task and he'd never see Ryder again. The Voldemort would break him out of Azkaban and torture him to death.

He swallowed. He was going to die a virgin!

Blaise nudged him, "your turn," the Italian whispered. Draco shook as he walked over to the red circle on the floor. He stood in the centre and with a 'pop' he appeared inside the white circle a few feet over.

"Congratulations Mr. Malfoy," the Ministry Official praised, "and you didn't even splinch yourself!"

Harry likewise, did it first go. Ron lost half an eyebrow, which Ryder charmed so Hermione couldn't fix it, and neither could the Ministry Official. Which was funny.

Draco glared at the brunette. The one year he leaved Harry Potter alone, and the brunette takes up stalking him. When he tries to get Harry's attention – not that he ever did, mind you – Harry ignored him. Now that it was the other way around, he couldn't get rid of his four-eyed shadow.

It was time to try his second plan, Draco decided, when he saw Slughorn walk through the room with a bottle of brandy he had bought for Dumbledore.

_XXX_

Draco paced in his private room at Hogwarts. He was so angry and so scared. Ryder was coming to Hogwarts to visit him. Ryder had been standing outside the door for twenty-five minutes but he couldn't bring himself to open up for his love. What if Ryder did abandon him? What happened then? Draco thought he particularly wouldn't care if Voldemort killed him, if Ryder left him.

"Come in," he called and began to peel his shirt off. Ryder raised an eyebrow and Draco blushed softly but unfastened his belt. "I want to make love. I'm a virgin. I don't want to die a virgin."

"What makes you think you're going to die?" Ryder asked, acting as if he knew nothing about Draco's Mark. Of course, then his eyes drifted down to the bare arm that Draco was desperately trying to cover up again with his right hand.

"I forgot about it," he whispered. "I was so afraid to tell you."

Ryder moved over to him and fastened the belt again, before picking the shirt up off the floor and feeding the blond's arms through the sleeves. He buttoned it up. "Now sit," he pushed Draco onto the bed, "and explain."

Draco launched into an explanation at once, his entire body trembling until Ryder repositioned them so Draco was resting between the brunette's legs, his back to Harry's chest.

"I was so scared. He didn't look like Potter said he did after fourth year. But he was terrifying. He kept rolling his eyes or sneering to himself, and I thought he was angry at me!" Ryder nearly laughed. Tom and Salazar must be driving the man back to insanity. "I cursed a student. She's in St. Mungos. It was an accident I swear, Ryder! And Weasley! I poisoned him. If it weren't for Potter, he would have died. I don't want to go to Azkaban!" Draco cried.

He turned in the brunette's arms and began to sob against his love's chest. Ryder held him and patted his back. He shifted so they were lying beside one another.

"I don't want to die a virgin," the blond whispered.

"You won't die," Ryder swore, running his hands through blond hair. "And when you're really ready, I'll fuck that virginity right out of you." Draco moaned in anticipation. He did admit that he was still nervous at the thought of being fucked by Ryder. He had always thought he would have been on top; but then he was told about Ryder and their marriage contract and knew he would never be able to dominate the Vampyre.

When he was ready and comfortable, Draco thought, they wouldn't fuck. They'd make love.

Draco had his best nights sleep since he left Hogwarts last year. When he woke up, Ryder was gone, but a small ring lay where the brunette had lain all night.

_XXX_

Draco paced in the Room of Requirements. He knew Harry Potter and his friends had used this room last year to learn Defence without Umbridge knowing, and since he had been the one to catch them, he now knew where the room was too.

He looked at his ring finger on his left hand.

He was wearing the ring Ryder had left for him. He might not have said it, but Draco knew Ryder meant it as an engagement ring. Most Pureblood's didn't trade rings until they graduated and they wore them for one year before exchanging them for wedding rings, after marriage. Draco grinned; Ryder was marking him as his!

The ring was beautiful, even if it didn't look like an ordinary engagement ring. It was platinum and a half-inch thick. The ring was engraved around the outside with the image of a vine – much like on Ryder's blood oak wand – with tiny little leaves. The engraving was filled with gold. On the inside of the ring, on the half that rested against the underside of Draco's finger were the words 'As Long As You Want Me'. Draco didn't understand them, but he knew it could translate to 'I Love You' coming from Ryder.

Sitting on top of the ring – like a normal engagement ring – was a large, perfectly cut clear diamond. Draco had been happily flaunting the ring around the school, showing anyone and everyone who would watch.

Pansy was his favourite person to show. She had gone purple with anger then fainted away. When she woke she had cried for an hour before demanding Draco take off the ring and give it to her. Because after all, she was the woman in their relationship so she was supposed to wear the ring. Draco took great delight in telling her – in front of all of Slytherin House – that the ring meant he and RYDER were engaged, and she was delusional.

Coming away from his thoughts, Draco looked over at the Vanishing Cabinet he had picked up from Borgin & Burkes. Burke was still working on the broken one. Crabbe and Goyle stood watch outside, Polyjuiced as first year Slytherin girls.

He heard Harry Potter's voice and then Goyle give a surprised squeak. Draco swallowed as the room began to change. Potter was obviously coming inside. In a panic, Draco rushed to the Vanishing Cabinet and jumped inside, making sure to leave the door slightly open.

Harry sat down on a cushion and pulled out his copy of Advanced Potions Making. He began to make notes on a sheet of blank parchment of all the new spells that were written down the margins of the book pages. He needed to test these spells out. Ryder had more than enough sense to know he shouldn't try spells on humans without knowing what they did first.

He conjured the golem, which still looked like Harry. Draco thought that was a bit narcissistic but he wasn't going to leave his Cabinet to say so. "Sectumsempra," Harry shouted aiming his holly and phoenix feather wand at the golem – which fortunately can't die.

The golem's chest split open, and imitation blood began to flood out of the gash. "Merlin," Harry breathed as he saw the damage done. He was so glad he had tested it first.

Draco was trembling. He prayed to any higher power that Harry never caught him. He really didn't want to be on the receiving end of that curse. As Potter was leaving, Draco left the Cabinet. But his robes got stuck on the lock and when he went to untangle them, he fell into the Cabinet and the door closed behind him. He swore as he was spat out of the newly fixed Cabinet-twin at Borgin & Burkes.

"Master Malfoy, I was just about to write to you." Burke put down his quill and smiled, well grimaced more like. Draco handed over the rest of the money he owed the man, cleaning out what little he had left over from the summer.

He left the shop and headed to the jewellery shop in Diagon Alley. He bought his purchase with a cheque order, which saved time on having to go to Gringotts. Draco returned to Hogwarts through the Cabinet and went to his room to write a letter to his Father. It was almost time.

An hour later, Harry Potter received a package via owl addressed to 'R. Hammond'. He hid it before either Hermione or Ron could see it and left the Great Hall. In the Gryffindor dormitory he pulled out the package and opened it slowly. He gasped as he picked up the ring carefully.

It was almost identical to the one he had sent Draco. Except it didn't have a diamond on top. By Wizarding Custom, only the female – or female equivalent – partner wore a diamond engagement ring. The males wore a ring that could pass for a wedding ring. It was beautiful, and engraved on the bottom inside, was 'I Will Always Want You'.

_XXX_

Ryder was trembling. He didn't care for the man who lay panting at his feet, but seeing anyone go through so much pain was traumatising. Dumbledore fought to pull himself to his feet, and after some time, Ryder helped him up and out of the cave. In Dumbledore's blackened hand was a golden locket with a large letter 'S' engraved into the front. A golden ring with a large black gem sat on his blackened finger.

Ryder looked back at the cave and shuddered. The wind buffeted the both of them as they tried to get around the side of the cave and onto flat ground again. When they touched ground, Dumbledore lay down on the grass and gave a small laugh. "We did it my boy," he whispered.

"Yeah," Ryder said, staring over the edge of the ground to where the cave entrance was hidden below. He swore he could still hear the Inferi moving about inside. He shuddered and clutched a hand to his chest. He could feel his ring – which hung on a necklace out of sight – through the clothing, and squeezed it slightly.

"Come my boy, I am ready to leave," Ryder couldn't have agreed more.

_XXX_

Lord Voldemort had no idea that, at that very moment, Severus Snape was pouring a special potion over the ring he had stolen from his maternal Grandfather. Gaunt's ring was no longer a Horcrux. Like the diary had been, it housed a piece of Voldemort's soul; but now, the soul had been cast out.

With nowhere for the soul to go, and it wanted to go before Dumbledore caught it and destroyed it, it headed back to the other two pieces of himself.

He didn't stick around long enough to see what happened to the golden locket.

Voldemort gasped and tensed up as the soul from Gaunt's ring entered his body. He immediately de-aged one year, in looks. He was 29 again. He shuddered as he felt another consciousness prod at his heavily Occluded mind. If it wasn't bad enough that he had to put up with Tom and Salazar, poor Voldemort now had – who the fuck was this anyway?

"_You may call me, Marvolo_," the voice said. At once, the other two parts of him began welcoming Marvolo. Voldemort sighed and summoned a Death Eater to bring him a headache potion of seven.

An owl flew in through the window with a letter. Voldemort instinctively knew it was from Draco Malfoy. He dearly hoped Malfoy didn't fail; he just wasn't in the mood to listen to excuses.

_XXX_

"It's a fake!" Harry cried incredulously as Dumbledore read the note that had been stuffed inside the golden locket.

Dumbledore didn't reply. He waved at Snape, who immediately left the room. "Put your cloak on my boy," Dumbledore ordered. When Harry didn't moved, Dumbledore stunned him and covered him up with the Invisibility Cloak anyway. Harry raged beneath the fabric, trying to get free.

He gave up a second before the door flew open and Draco stormed in, wand raised. "You die today, old man," the blond shouted. "Ava-" But he couldn't finish the word.

"You can't do it can you? You can't kill me." Dumbledore wasn't sounding condescending; he sounded like he understood what Draco was feeling, but Ryder knew differently. Don't let your guard down; he wanted to shout to the blond, Dumbledore will have you in Azkaban by the morning!

"I can!" Draco insisted.

"You can't, you're not like them. I can help you. Let me help you, Draco." Draco's wand lowered and Ryder couldn't believe what he was seeing. He struggled harder against his bonds but he knew there was only one way to get free before Dumbledore hurt Draco.

The blond's head was tilted forward, his eyes closed, so he didn't see Dumbledore smirk and raise his wand. Nor did he see Severus throw open the door and get stunned trying to come to Draco's defence.

Harry removed his 'skin'. Where he stood, frozen in place, was now Ryder. He flung off the cloak ignoring Dumbledore's startled look and shouted, "Avada Kedavra," using his blood oak wand. Dumbledore slumped lifelessly to the floor, his eyes flashing green before going dull and grey.

He looked at Draco, "run." Draco opened his mouth a few times but no words came out. He moved to Severus and lifted the curse. "Go," he ordered again.

Snape came to his senses first and grabbed Draco's arm, pulling him towards the door. Draco looked back at Ryder. "How did you get here?"

"I swore to protect you, did I not?" He asked, evading the question. Fortunately, Draco never saw Harry Potter in the room, so he had no reason to connect the dots. They ran, Severus pulling Draco down the stairs leading away from the Headmaster's Office, as Draco stared back at his fiancé. Ryder waved.

When they were out of sight, he moved over to the window and looked out, while making sure to keep out of sight. The place was in chaos. There were Death Eaters steaming out of the school and onto the front lawn, fighting Professors and students, cutting people down with curses and being cut down in turn.

They probably got in through the Vanishing Cabinets, Ryder realized. He quickly cast a glamour over himself again. When his hair was brown and his eyes brown too, he made sure his features were non-descript before conjuring a Death Eater mask and robes and pulling them on. He conjured the golem and left it where Dumbledore had made him stand and threw the cloak over him.

He shared his memory with the construct, so if anyone tested it, they'd never know it was the real Harry.

Then Ryder levitated Dumbledore so he stood in front of the window. "Avada Kedavra," he called, very loudly, so the people below could hear. Dumbledore topped from the window and fell from the tower to hit the ground with a sickening crack.

Ryder looked away, took a deep breath and ran from the room, throwing curses randomly and making sure people knew **he** was the one to kill Dumbledore, not Draco.

He ran passed Fenrir Greyback, who looked up at him and smirked, before bending down to sink his fangs back into Bill Weasley's face. Ryder winced – poor Fleur Delacour. Draco he noticed had already left Hogwarts, but he could see Severus fighting against a Death Eater Ryder knew was Bellatrix: maintaining his spying position.

_XXX_

Lestrange Manor was cold and empty when Ryder got home. He took off the Death Eater garb and removed the glamour. He pulled the ring off of the chain, and pushed it onto his left ring finger with a smile. Draco probably wouldn't want him when he knew the truth.

Maybe not, Ryder thought, but he could keep him safe anyway.

He nodded determinedly and flooed to Riddle Manor. He got there at the same time as Draco was giving his excuses.

The Death Eaters were slowly trickling back from Hogwarts, but the two senior Malfoy's had been waiting with Voldemort since Draco's owl arrived. They looked nervous and pale, but Ryder's attention was better focused on Draco.

"It wasn't my fault!" The blond insisted. "I don't know who it was!" He lied, not wanting to get Ryder hurt or in trouble.

"Do not lie to me Malfoy," Voldemort hissed as he raised his wand.

"_Don't be so hard on the boy_," Salazar chastened the Dark Lord.

"_Yeah, he's only protecting his Mate_," Tom joined in.

Marvolo had quickly realized that the other two had teamed up against Voldemort, and had chosen their team. He too wanted his Mate. "_We'd protect our Mate, wouldn't you Voldemort?_"

"That makes no sense," Voldemort whispered and the Death Eaters exchanged nervous glances. He sneered at Draco, and raised his wand higher. Draco tensed as Voldemort began to pronounce 'Crucio', but the sound of the door being flung open stopped him mid-speech. Draco relaxed for a moment as he recognized Ryder, then tensed in fear for the other boy.

"He is MINE," the brunette hissed, striding forward angrily. Rose leant against the doorframe and wiggled her fingers in a 'hello' to Voldemort.

"_Now, you've done it, idiot_." Salazar hissed.

Tom gave Voldemort a mental kick in the groin: which he only managed not to scream from. "_You keep making our Mate's family hate us! What's wrong with you?_"

Marvolo wasn't as composed as the rest of them. This was the first time he saw his Mate after all. "_That's my Mate? THAT IS MY MATE? Mate? Mine? Her? That? WHOOOOOO!_" Voldemort wanted nothing more than to strangle the 19 year-old Marvolo. Oh, he wanted another headache potion as well, of course.

"He is MINE," Ryder repeated with a growl. By now all the Death Eaters were gathered in front of their Lord. But they parted like the Red Sea to let the enraged Vampyre through. He gathered Draco against him and petted the blond's hair for a few seconds, making sure he was ok, before turning back to Voldemort. He pulled the sleeve of Draco's robe up and hissed, "remove it." Voldemort didn't move, "REMOVE IT NOW!" The Vampyre roared. Rose's eyes turned blue.

"I will not," Salazar kicked Voldemort for saying that, especially since Rowena's eyes narrowed at the words. "He is my follower."

"He is MY Mate, and you will remove it, or I will kill you, Rose or no Rose." He hissed, his voice deadly and dangerous.

Rose smiled at him, her eyes green again, "I'd do it if I was you. Technically he is older than me by a minute, so he can ban me from Mating with you. And you'll go insane again and Rowena will hate me and Ryder but Ryder will growl at her and then they'll fight and well, yeah… just take off the Mark." She beamed at Voldemort. Not mentioning that she didn't particularly want him to die, even though he had yet to get his act together.

His resolve crumbled when his Mate smiled at him. He knew he disappointed her, but he also knew he could earn her love and respect, and he wouldn't be such a disappointment anymore. And the first step in that direction, was keeping her angry Brother happy.

"Malfoy, come here." Draco flinched and slowly made his way forward.

The blond screamed as Voldemort's wand dug into his arm and the Mark began to burn itself off of his flesh. Ryder's growling intensified, but Rose had moved forward and was holding him back. The moment Draco's left arm was bare again Ryder pulled the blond towards him and Rose nodded at Voldemort and whispered 'thank you'.

All four souls residing in that one body melted at her silent words. Each of them finally thought they might have a real chance this time. Especially since now Dumbledore was dead.

"So, Malfoy, who did kill Dumbledore?" Voldemort asked, genuinely wanting to know.

"I did," Ryder glared at the Dark Lord, just as Severus slipped into the room and bowed briefly.

Ryder looked at Draco, as Severus reported what the Order and the Ministry were doing about Dumbledore's death. He knew that it was soon. Everything was coming to that point in time that depended on whether or not Draco could and would forgive him. They would soon be 17, which was the usual age to announce an engagement – even though you wouldn't wear rings until Graduation, when most people were 18.

He would have to tell Draco this summer, he knew. But he didn't really want to. Should Draco ever leave him, he'd – well no, he wouldn't turn himself into the Aurors, but he'd do something really desperate and embarrassing like beg for forgiveness or become a stalker, or…

He shuddered and pushed that idea out of his head. As much as he loved Draco, getting with Ginny Weasley to drive the blond insane with jealousy just wasn't worth it.

_XXX_

Dumbledore had been buried at the school, and through the golem Ryder had been able to see the experience and find out how his and Draco's Slytherin friends were doing. They'd be arriving straight after they arrived home.

Ryder knew he had to tell them. And he didn't think he'd be able to go through with the drama more than once. Neville was different, he was a Gryffindor and therefore relatively pliant. Slytherins were a tricky bunch to confess to, because they either hated you for tricking them in the first place or they drove you mad insisting they knew all along.

Pansy drove him mad as it was, so she obviously hated been invited.

Neville was coming though. Ryder wanted him there to help him out, protect him from angry snakes if necessary. He didn't mind overly much if his friends decided not to like him. He still had Viktor Krum and Neville Longbottom, and of course he had Rose and his parents too. And Lucius Malfoy – supposing Draco allowed Lucius to speak to Harry.

The only one he was worried about, was Draco. He couldn't bare the thought of losing Draco. He twisted the ring on his finger before pulling it off and turning it to read the inscription.

I Will Always Want You…

How Ryder wished he could believe it was true.

There was a knock at the door. Ryder swallowed, straightened his robes and opened the door. Unlike telling Sirius and Remus, he wanted to tell his friends on his own. He chuckled as all of his friends entered the room – Viktor had shown up as well – and thought about how he was feeding himself to the proverbial lions.

Well, here goes nothing.

**XXX**

Well there you go, that was HBP my way! Hope you like it, please give me loads of reviews. I have no plot to work from now – so I have to think up my own, so I need extra reviews to fuel my fancies!


	10. AN important

Hey everyone,

I know I usually update on a Saturday or a Sunday, but I can't this weekend.

Number one, tomorrow (Friday) I'm going to England, and my dad's Internet is broken as far as I know. If it isn't I will try very hard to get CHAPTER 10 of WOLF written and posted, but no promises (you'll find out why in a minute).

Secondly, my mum has banned me from the COMPUTER and the INTERNET. My school report went home for the mocks I insisted I failed, and I did badly!! So I'm banned, so I can revise again (like I did so much last time).

And if my mum sent my report to my dad without telling me, I'll be killed when I get to England and he won't let me on the computer either.

So I really won't be back till June this time, which is EIGHT WEEKS away (till my exams end) if you count Easter.

But I can't feel sorry for you all not having an update (even though I should), because in the summer I'll feel sorrier for myself when my mum kicks me out for failing! SORRY! But I can't afford that, because I have nowhere else to live… and she really would kick me out!

My apologizes (and hopes I pass my exams in June),

Much love and I hope I don't lose any readers,

Aisling x


	11. Coming Clean

Well here is the next chapter; at least it's not June! Just to clear it up: no one has asked but I'll explain anyway. In chapter 7 (and others) I say Rose is the older Twin, in chapter 9 and 10 Ryder is the eldest. Technically, Rose is considered older to those who know Ryder was adopted because she was a Lestrange first. But Ryder was born one minute before her to the Potter's, which makes him older. Get it?

**Words: ** 6,143

**Chapter 10**

**Coming Clean**

Neville Longbottom and Viktor Krum had fallen through the floo together. Well, to be fair, Neville fell through the floo; Viktor just got fallen on. Blushing crimson red, Neville picked himself up and offered Ryder's Father – who was standing in the doorway – a small smile. Viktor gave a deep laugh and assured the other boy it was ok.

Of course, Draco chose that moment to floo through as well. And considering, neither of the other two boys had yet to move from the fireplace, the blond teenager landed on top of the other two. With a scowl, Draco stood and brushed down his robes. He shot a glare at Neville. "What are you doing here?" He sneered, one eyebrow raised.

"I- well, um- Ryder asked me to come?" Draco rolled his eyes. Neville Longbottom was not a person to stand up against adversity, but rather to roll over and beg to be walked all over. Draco honestly didn't know anyone more pathetic.

"Viktor, how nice to see you again! I didn't know you were coming!" Draco grinned and shook hands with the elder Bulgarian boy.

"I vas not planning to, but then, vell you understand how long it has been since I spoke to Ryder." His accent was very heavy when he spoke English; surprisingly he could speak French and sound like a Frenchman. Ryder couldn't understand how his friend found English harder than French.

"I've never been to Ryder's house, what if I get lost?" Neville said meeting Viktor's eyes, but turned his face away embarrassed when Draco shot him a condescending glare.

Viktor patted his shoulder lightly, "we vill show you, vhen the others get here. It is easy to get lost." Neville smiled shyly and nodded.

The three of them were out of the fireplace now, and Atticus had left the room to inform Ryder to get himself ready. The fireplace flared to life once again, and Blaise Zabini stepped through with a grin that split his face in half.

"Oh Merlin, did you hear?" He practically screeched. "Harry Potter was voted the sexiest Wizard alive or dead! I wonder if he's gay?"

"You aren't gay!" Draco pointed out, rather annoyed with his friend. He was also sulking because Blaise hadn't yet told him where Draco ranked, or Ryder either.

"So? He could wear women's clothing." That was always Blaise's answer. Draco had come to the conclusion that Blaise wasn't attracted to males or females; he was attracted to Harry Potter. Did that make him Harrysexual then?

Draco rolled his eyes, and nearly danced with relief when the fireplace flared green again, distracting Blaise from his 'Harry-talk'; not that Draco was completely innocent of the same crime. Gregory Goyle and Vincent Crabbe nodded to everybody in the room and as one, the unit turned to face Draco. The blond smirked, and proudly led them to his fiancé's bedroom. He fiddled with the engagement ring on his finger as he walked.

_XXX_

There was a knock at the door. Ryder brushed down his robes and turned the handle, slowly. "Hey guys," he smiled nervously as he noticed his friends gathered outside.

"Ryder," Draco called as he rushed passed the threshold to hug his love. "I missed you." They hadn't seen each other since Ryder forced Voldemort to remove Draco's Mark. It wasn't very long ago, to be fair, but it felt like forever to someone who was in love.

"I missed you too." Ryder smiled down at Draco fondly, and ran a hand through the blond hair. "Come in, sit down everyone. This will take some time."

Ryder's room was blue. In fact it was the same room he had when he first went to live at Lestrange Manor; with the connecting door to Rose's room which was pink. His parents had hired interior-Wizards (which were like interior-designers, but Wizards) to remodel both rooms, when the children decided they were too old for cots and unicorn paintings. Although, it is debateable whether Rose was ever young enough.

The walls were plain blue now, but in different shades of blue. The bottom started out very dark, almost black, and in stripes the shade became lighter the whole way up the wall until it was so pale at the top it practically blended into the white ceiling. Rose's room was the same, but with shades of pink, not blue.

Vince and Greg slumped down into twin blue beanbag cushions Ryder had shoved beside the door. Blaise happily occupied the black desk chair, and kicked his feet up onto the desk with his arms crossed behind his head. Neville looked around for another chair, and didn't see one. He was afraid to ask for one, and didn't even wish to embarrass himself by attempting to conjure one, so he just sat down on the floor – right in the centre of the fluffy blue rug at the end of Ryder's bed. Draco curled up on the bed, his head resting against the headboard. And Viktor stood at the side of the room, his arms crossed as he leant back against the wall.

Ryder kept pacing for a few minutes. He didn't know how to say this. He didn't know how to form the right words in the right order, to make the right sentences.

Nothing that crossed his mind was a good enough explanation!

He toyed with the idea of telling Draco first. But then realized Draco would probably leave, or fight with him. And having others in the room might protect him – for a short time.

He had to tell them. With the exception of Viktor and Neville none of his friends had a clue who he really was. Blaise couldn't be too mad; Harry Potter and Blaise had pretty much avoided each other through out their 6 years of Hogwarts, excluding the Slug Club meetings. Blaise had nothing – no teasing, no fights, no hatred – to forgive Ryder for.

Greg and Vince were usually only involved in the fight because of Draco. If Draco hadn't spent so much time trying to get back at Harry, Ryder wouldn't be in the middle of a dilemma. If Greg and Vince didn't forgive him, he'd get over it he supposed. They were good friends, but they weren't his only friends. If push came to shove, he knew they would take Draco's side anyway, and if need be he could always bare the Gryffindor's until Draco forgave him.

Of course, the question was… would Draco ever forgive him?

Draco Malfoy who loved Ryder and fancied the pants off of Harry, even though he denied it. Draco Malfoy who simultaneously hated Harry Potter. Draco Malfoy who was about to find out Harry was Ryder.

Ryder ran a hand through his hair, and took a deep breath. "Don't ask questions, or say anything until I'm finished." He ordered and everyone nodded.

Draco held his arms out and raised an eyebrow. "Sit with me?" He asked, leaning further back against the headboard.

Ryder frowned; he was so very tempted to. He wanted nothing more than to go over and hug Draco till the boy turned blue in the face, and never let go. But, Ryder knew, if he held Draco, he really wouldn't be able to let him go and he wouldn't be able to tell them what he needed to. He had to tell them. "Not right now, love." He said and kept pacing.

Deep breath, he told himself.

"Harry Potter died when he was fifteen months old." Ryder started. Before anyone could cry out or deny the statement, he kept speaking. "When he was fifteen months old, Voldemort came to his house and killed his parents. When Voldemort tried to kill him, a very special girl jumped out in front of him, and saved him from Voldemort. Then Dumbledore came and took Harry Potter away. Harry was left with abusive Muggles. Luckily, the girl came back and took Harry Potter away. She placed spells around the Muggles' home so to anyone looking, it would look like Harry lived there.

"Harry was taken to the girl's home. The girl's Father and Mother preformed the Blood Oath Ceremony on Harry. Harry Potter died." He paused.

Looking around the room, he was surprised to note the thoughtful look on Blaise's face. Blaise was a typical airhead; he only seemed to care about girls – or boy's named Harry – and clothes. At the moment, he seemed to be the only one adding up the pieces. Draco was staring at him with a pout, willing Ryder to sit with him on the bed. Greg and Vince were nodding along as Ryder spoke, but it didn't seem to be sinking in. Neville had moved to lie down on the mat, instead of sit, and was tracing patterns in the fluff with his finger. Neville probably didn't know what a Blood Oath Ceremony was. Viktor knew all of this already.

"A Blood Oath Ceremony involves the blood sacrifice of an 'innocent'. The girl's family used a Muggle woman. Blood was taken from all three family members and from Harry, and used to paint runes on the woman's skin. The Father said the incantation to relevant gods and killed the woman. Harry died and from the ashes – so to speak – rose another."

He opened his mouth to finish the sentence but Blaise beat him to it. "It's you isn't it? The person who's been pretending to be Potter?"

"I am Harry Potter, or I was anyway." Ryder gave the brunette a slight smile.

"Why?" Greg asked. Worriedly, Ryder noticed that Draco still hadn't reacted.

"I was supposed to be abused, so that when I came to this world, I would throw myself at Dumbledore and be eternally grateful that he saved me from the Muggles. Violet Hammond can't have any more children. Rose was the little girl by the way – and when Rose wanted a sibling, they chose me. Rose is Ravenclaw's Heir and she's a Seer. She knew the Potter's would die, and she chose to save me and make me her Brother."

"Why pretend to be Potter?" Vince asked with a frown.

"Dumbledore would have had Atticus arrested if he had known. It was entirely legal in the Muggle world; the Muggle's signed the adoption forms. My magical guardian is in Azkaban so his hold on me is default. Dumbledore had no say. But he would have done something anyway. Rose is special." He paused unsure of what to say. He turned to look at Viktor.

"Tell them, Ryder, you can trust them." Draco turned to look at Viktor, his eyes narrowed.

"Rose is not only Ravenclaw's Heir. She is Rowena's Host." Everyone but Viktor and Ryder drew in breath at the statement.

"Are you joking?" Blaise almost screamed, tumbling off the desk chair.

"WHAT?" Greg and Vince cried simultaneously.

Neville sat up and looked around wildly, "what's a Host?" Ryder could have slapped himself.

Again, Draco didn't really react. "Rose is a split-personality. Half of the time, when her eyes are green, she's Rose Hammond. When her eyes are blue, she's Rowena Ravenclaw: my guardian angel. The Dumbledore line have been involved with the Host legend since it began. Emmanuel Dumbledore was in love with Rowena, and when she married Salazar Slytherin, he began telling people that Salazar was Dark.

"People believed him because he was the equivalent of Minister for Magic at the time. His Father, Kerrigor, was responsible for Muggleborns: they were the by-product of a magical experiment gone wrong."

"Which explains why Salazar hated them," Neville snorted.

"Yes, exactly. Anyway, when Salazar and Rowena left Hogwarts, Dumbledore gathered an army and headed off to kill the Dark Wizard. Rowena and her Daughter Robin Sears weren't there. The eldest child, Severus I, was tied to a tree while Salazar was beaten to death. Then, they burnt Severus alive. Rowena wasn't in time to save either of them. She took Robin and fled."

He ran a hand through his hair. His friends were hanging off his every word. It was times like this that Ryder wondered why all of his History lessons were about Goblins.

"Salazar had a child with Morgana's Daughter Morgan, before he married Rowena. Rowena kidnapped that child, a Son, and Obliviated him. He was older than Severus I but she made him forget that. She also gave him a Potion to de-age him. When he was the same age as Severus I, she gave him all her Son's memories and named him Severus II. No one but her family knew he wasn't her real Son.

"Voldemort is descended from that line, not the Ravenclaw line. Rose is the Heir of Ravenclaw and her Great-Grandmother married Hufflepuff's Heir. She is also an Heir of Slytherin. So am I, because of the Blood Oath Ceremony." He swallowed nervously.

"And Gryffindor!" Neville crowed. "Potter's are Gryffindor Heirs!" Ryder smiled and nodded.

"Well that is something I didn't know." He laughed, "Hosts are, for a better word, experimented on. Dumbledore has made it his life's goal to stop Salazar and Rowena ever being together again. They were reincarnated in their offspring, but never at the same time. Technically, Amanda Hammond should have been the Host but Dumbledore interfered and Salazar's mate wasn't born at the right time. She was reincarnated in Rose, two generations later."

"Who is Salazar's Host?" Viktor asked. He had known Rose had an intended mate, but he had never asked who.

"Lord Voldemort was created because Tom Riddle went insane without his Mate. All because of Dumbledore." Ryder frowned. "That's why Rose killed him. The longer he was bodiless for, the more he would de-age. Unfortunately he came back too soon. But we're working on destroying his horcruxes and giving him back his soul at least."

"Is that all?" Draco asked, speaking for the first time since Ryder began his explanations. "Is that the end of your life story, Harry?" He sneered.

Ryder frowned, "my name is Ryder, love."

"I am not your love, Potter." He hissed and Ryder actually flinched. "You're Harry Potter. The same Potter who didn't want to be my friend?" He licked his lips, and tried hard not to cry. "You can stop pretending now. I won't tell anyone who you really are."

"Pretending?" He asked slowly.

The other's in the room, stood up silently and left the room, closing the door behind them. Draco got off the bed and stalked towards Ryder. A hand fell on each of Ryder's shoulders and with a shove Ryder fell backwards.

"YOU BASTARD!" Draco screamed as Ryder picked himself up. "I hate you, you lying git!" He sniffed and rubbed his nose with the back of his hand. "You can stop pretending to like me now. I get the hint, you made it clear enough that you hate me, Potter."

"Harry Potter hates you Draco," Ryder whispered. Draco flinched. "I am Ryder Hammond. Can you imagine how Dumbledore would have reacted if you had been Potter's best friend? Can you guess how suspicious he would have been?"

Draco sniffed and held his head up, looking down his nose at Ryder. "If you didn't want to marry me, you should have said."

Draco turned and ran from the room, a few silent tears making their way down his flushed cheeks. Ryder growled and followed him. He arrived in the anti-chamber just as Draco disappeared from the floo in flash of green flames. Ryder jumped into the fireplace and called out "Malfoy Manor, Draco's room," as he threw the powder to the floor. Flames sprung up around him and he was spun towards his destination.

He stepped out of the fireplace and Draco's room and glared at the blond who was standing in the middle of the room crying.

"You bloody, self-centred, stuck up, little- Argh!" Ryder punched Draco in the arm. "Why aren't you listening to me?" The brunette ran a hand through his hair. "I am not Potter. I am Ryder and I love you more than anything! I had to PRETEND to hate you. I couldn't have told you, Draco, because Dumbledore is a skilled Legilimens and you are not!"

Draco didn't react. Ryder growled. Losing his patience, he pushed Draco back to the blond fell on the bed. "Fine," Ryder hissed, "I'll show you I love you, shall I?"

Draco shivered and his clothing disappeared with a wave of Ryder's wand. "What are you-?" He was cut off as Ryder's lips crushed against his own, desperately. Draco's mouth opened with a gasp, allowing Ryder's tongue to slip inside.

One of Ryder's hands snaked down the blond's body to cup his genitals. Draco moaned into Ryder's mouth and arched upwards, closer to the hand. "Please," he breathed as Ryder released his mouth.

Ryder didn't say anything in return. He moved off of Draco and rolled the blond so he was lying on his stomach. Draco raised himself up onto his hands and knees without prompting and with a smirk Ryder moved to kneel behind the boy. His face was pressed against Draco's tight arse, his fingers tracing the cleft. Draco moaned again as one finger dipped in the crack and traced his hole.

The hands were withdrawn and used to hold open Draco's cheeks apart. With a smirk, Ryder allowed his tongue to flick out and taste the winking rosette for the first time. Draco gasped and bucked back, seeking more. Happily, Ryder pushed his tongue forward again, until it pushed passed the resisting muscle with a pop.

A finger moved forward to join the probing tongue, pushing passed the muscle and burring itself in Draco's clenching channel. The blond teenager moaned again, panting harshly as a second finger joined the first. Ryder inserted a third finger before moving his face away. He bent forward and pressed a light kiss to the curve of Draco's back as three of his fingers continued to work the blond.

When he deemed Draco suitably prepared he pulled his fingers out and moved forwards so he was kneeling directly behind Draco. One hand moved to his belt and deftly unfastened it, before unzipping his trousers and pushing them down over his hips, far enough to free his leaking cock.

He positioned his cock at Draco's stretched hole and placed his hands on the blond's hips. He thrust forward, burying his penis in one go and wringing a scream from Draco. "Shush love," he whispered against the panting blond's neck, "it will pass, shush," he kissed Draco's neck and rubbed circles on the boy's hips.

"Move," Draco begged.

Ryder pulled out slowly, and thrust quickly back in making Draco cry out again. This time in pleasure as his prostate was struck dead on. He groaned, his fingers clenching at the bed sheets as Ryder pulled out again and pushed back inside of him. Draco panted, he couldn't believe how good this felt. He couldn't believe how long he waited to give himself to his lover.

All though, he probably figured Ryder would have refused him, should he have offered. Ryder wouldn't have taken him before telling him about being Harry Potter.

With that thought Draco tensed up. He had almost forgot what they had been arguing about to begin with. He sniffed loudly. "You're still Potter." He gasped out as Ryder slammed into his prostate again.

"I am," he thrust in again, "not," he pulled out and slammed home once more, "Potter!" He growled against Draco's ear, his fingernails biting into Draco's sides.

Draco moaned as he felt his balls draw up, his insides were burning, tingles were shooting through every nerve ending in his body, as he felt his orgasm approach.

"Who am I, Draco?" Ryder asked as his hand encircled the blond's neglected penis. He pumped it slowly, "what's my name?" The hand moved up and down once for each word.

"RYDER!" He screamed as he came, his upper body collapsing forwards so his face was pressed against his pillow.

Ryder's grip tightened on Draco's hips, and he sped up his thrusting until he was almost frantically moving in and out of the blond boy. He came with a cry, whispering the words, "I love you," when he regained his breath.

He laughed lightly when he realized Draco had fallen asleep. With a sigh, he rolled off of his fiancé and pulled the blankets over the blond. He moved to Draco's desk and pulled out a sheet of clean parchment and some ink out of the top drawer and grabbed a quill of the desk. He wrote the note hurriedly, before folding it and leaving it on top of the pillow Draco wasn't using.

Fighting back the tears, Ryder pulled ring Draco gave him off of his finger and lay it on top of the parchment. 'I Will Always Want You', Ryder read off the ring before he turned towards the fireplace and stepped inside. A pinch of floo powder later and he was home. Alone.

_XXX_

Severus Snape had known something fishy was going on. Potter never left the Headmaster's office that night, but he was gone when Draco got there. And, instead of Potter, there was Draco's fiancé. Severus knew something wasn't right, and he knew it had something to do with Hammond.

He had gone straight to Lucius' study, in Malfoy Manor, when Voldemort had released them from the embarrassing spectacle that was the last meeting. Lucius had put him off for two nights. But now, he would get his answers.

"Lucius I demand you tell me what the hell is going on!"

"I cannot," the blond told him, handing him a shifter of bourbon. "It is not my secret to tell." Severus growled, but drank the alcohol in one swallow before slamming the glass down on Lucius' desk.

"And who can tell me?"

"Go see either Atticus or Ryder," Lucius smiled softly. The grandfather clock in the room chimed and Lucius turned to stare at it as the hand marked 'Draco' switched to point at 'Malfoy Manor'. He frowned; he had assumed his Son would have wanted to spend the night at Lestrange Manor.

He was about to get up and go check in on his Son, when Ryder's hand changed to point at 'Malfoy Manor' as well. He sat back down in his chair and turned to face his oldest friend. "I'll check on him later. Atticus should still be home, if you hurry you might catch him before he heads out for lunch." Lucius smirked in a way that told Severus that the blond knew something he didn't.

"Right, lunch," Severus drew out the words as he stood up. He moved to the fireplace and shot Lucius a searching glance as he stepped into the fireplace. Lucius had a glass of dark red wine in his hand, and was swirling it slowly, smirking. The wine looked a bit like blood.

"Lestrange Manor," Severus called, as his eyes widened. Blood— "he's a Vampire!?" The Potions Master cried as he was carried away in a flash of green.

"With a 'y' actually," Atticus answered the question that had carried through the floo system. He was leaning against the mantle of the fireplace with a smirk on his face a glass of what Severus hoped was wine in his hand. "Would you like some?" He held the glass out when he noticed Severus staring at it.

"No," the man said curtly.

Atticus nodded and moved to leave the room. "Come then, I assume you want an explanation?" Severus brushed down his robes and followed the Head of House Lestrange.

Severus followed Atticus to the Vampyre's study and sat rigidly in one of the chairs, a scowl on his face. "Now I'm not sure how much to tell you."

"Tell him everything," Rose suggested from the doorway. She looked worried and was staring at the clock on the wall. Ryder's hand was pointing at 'Malfoy Manor'. She seemed to be waiting for it to move. "Draco has been informed. There is nothing to lose by telling the Professor."

"Very well," Rose stood against the door as Atticus began to explain everything that Ryder had just shared with his friends, as well as other things Draco hadn't given Ryder the time to explain. When he was finished, Severus had polished off half a bottle of expensive wine, and still looked like he needed a good drink. Rose turned and left the room, as the hand on the clock switched from 'Malfoy Manor' to 'Lestrange Manor', with a morbid chime.

Draco's hand didn't follow.

_XXX_

Ryder lay in the centre of his bed, his shoulders shaking as he sobbed into his pillow. For the first time since Draco had given him the ring, his ring finger was bare. Rose sighed and walked quietly into the room. She hitched up her dress and crawled onto the bed. Lying behind her Brother, she wrapped an arm loosely around his waist and made soothing noises in his ear. With a choked cry, Ryder turned in her arms and buried his face in her neck, as his sobbing grew louder and more desperate.

"Shush my love, all will be well," she tried to sooth him. She had a fair idea of what had transpired. "He will come around."

"Sorry," Ryder mumbled some time later, as he pulled away. He eyed the wet patch on the front of Rose's dress with distain. "Why don't you change and go see Voldemort?"

"Can I?" She asked with a bright smile.

"You didn't think I would really ban you from him, did you?" She didn't answer. She stood from the bed and twirled around in a circle.

"What should I wear?" She asked with a giggle, and as depressed as he was Ryder had to let out a small laugh.

"Come on," he grinned, standing up and taking her hand. "Let's see what you have in Narnia."

"Narnia?" Rose asked with a frown.

"Yeah, you know," he explained as they headed through the connecting door in the wall, and into Rose's room. "The world inside the wardrobe." Rose gave him a blank look. "I'm saying your wardrobe is big enough to fit a world inside. You know, you have too many clothes…?" Rose rolled her eyes and pulled a pink lacy dress off a hanger.

"What about this?"

"Are you a Barbie?" He scowled.

"You're right," she sighed and grabbed a green dress with a purple ribbon, "this?"

"You'll look like Ariel from 'The Little Mermaid'." Ryder snorted, trying not to laugh at the image. "Don't," he said as she grabbed a yellow ball gown style dress. "It's too 'Beauty and the Beast'. Who buys your clothing anyway?" He groaned and dived into the wardrobe himself as Rose laid back on her bed and smile.

She had successfully distracted him from Draco-thinkage.

_XXX_

Rose smiled as she made her way through Riddle Manor. The place was dark and empty except for herself and the Manor's owner. She grinned and brushed down her dress nervously. In the end, Ryder had settled on a white dress that fell to mid thigh. A black lace over dress went over the white dress, falling to her knees. The straps were an inch thick each and black and there was an inch thick black ribbon just under her breasts. She swallowed and knocked on Voldemort's study door.

She kicked at the ground with her black pumps. She hadn't bothered with socks, but she did have on a pair of black wrist length gloves. She ran a hand over her hair, smoothing it down as the door opened.

"What the bloody— oh, hello," Voldemort's anger deflated as he realized it wasn't a Death Eater interrupting him, but his Mate. "Hello." He repeated stepping out of the way to let her into the room.

"You already said that." She said with a smile, "but hello twice to you too."

"_Mate… Here… Mate!_" the 19-year-old incarnation of Voldemort gave a mental swoon.

"_Fool,_" /I hissed 16-year-old Tom, "_I thought you got more sensible with age. He seems to have regressed._"

"_Don't be cruel. He's happy to see his Mate, that's all._" Salazar smiled mentally, and poked Voldemort in the ribs, goading him to say something.

"Well, uh," Voldemort could never remember feeling this awkward before, not even when he was incredibly young and couples would inspect him at the orphanage. None of them ever adopted him of course, and he learnt to ignore their stares after a while. "How are you?"

"Well and you?"

"Good," he nodded, turning his head to look around the room. "So?"

"Yes?" She asked with a bright smile. "This is awkward isn't it?" He just nodded. He really didn't like these feelings. "Me neither," she said as if she knew what he was thinking. "I'm your Mate."

"I know," Voldemort frowned as he felt Marvolo pushed at his shield. "MATE!" Marvolo screamed and threw himself at Rose. Voldemort wished the ground would open up and swallow him when he finally regained control of his body. He let go of the teenager and stepped back, coughing embarrassedly. "That wasn't me."

"I know," she laughed. He nodded slowly. "We can bond soon you know."

"Bond?" He asked, his eyes wide and hopeful.

"Not yet of course; I'm still not 17." She looked rather put out at the thought of waiting. Rowena was sulking too, but she kept quiet. Voldemort rather envied the fact that his Mate got nice voices in her head, while he was stuck with lunatics. Not that hearing voices, full stop, was a good thing, or anything. "But we can still get to know each other, I suppose."

"What do you want to know?" She moved closer to him with a small smile playing on her lips. Her green eyes – the same colour as Potter's, he noticed – sparkled as she stood up on her tiptoes.

"I want to know," she breathed out, the sound of her voice made Voldemort hard, "what you taste like." With that she moved forward, pressing her lips to her Mate's for the first time. With a moan, Voldemort opened his arms, and allowed Rose to lean against him. His arms wound around her waist, holding her close to him as he tasted and explored her for the first of many times that night.

"_I'm in heaven,_" was his last coherent thought as Rose pulled away to breath, before coming back for more, one hand in his hair and the other on his arse.

_XXX_

Draco woke with a groan. His arse stung like mad and his face was squished against his pillow. He rolled onto his back, his legs tangling in the blankets that Ryder had pulled over him. He blinked his eyes, trying to get them used to the dark. It was still night time, he realized as he looked out of the window; the curtains were left open. He didn't know why he had woken before dawn. He felt some sense of unease, of uncomfortable-ness, but he couldn't pin point what exactly. Nor could he fathom what would be so important as to wake him up.

He turned his head to the side, looking for Ryder. He could remember what they had done that night, which was why his arse hurt, but he couldn't quite remember what had been said.

He didn't find Ryder in the bed with him. But he noticed the ring. Slowly his hand reached out to pick the ring up. He twisted it around and smiled at the inscription. With a gasp, the full memories of earlier that night returned to him.

"You remember?"

Draco's head snapped up at the words. His eyes focused on the person in the doorway. That would explain why he had woken up, Draco never could sleep if someone was watching him. "Hello Father," he whispered his eyes fixed again on the ring.

Lucius walked into the room, and ignoring his Son's nudity sat on the edge of the bed. "He asked me to give you this," Lucius lay a roll of parchment on the bed.

Draco unrolled it, and read the top line before he threw it on the bed angrily. Tears welled in his eyes and he closed his fist around the ring, winding as it dug into his skin. "When?"

"It came through the floo a few minutes ago," Lucius answered. He picked up the scroll and read it – he had left it unopened for Draco. "Termination of Marriage Contract between Ryder Ravyn Hammond and Draco Lucius Malfoy." Ryder and Atticus had both signed the contract. Lucius had signed it as well. All that was missing was Draco's signature.

"He lied," Draco whispered, "shouldn't the contract already be terminated?"

"I knew he was Potter," Lucius bit his lip, refusing to meet Draco's eyes.

"He told you," the blond gasped, "but not me?"

"He was protecting you!" Lucius nearly shouted but of course Malfoy's don't shout. "Read your note." He ordered, turning his face away.

Draco lay the ring down on the bed and picked up the piece of parchment on the pillow. He began to read, not at all bothered as his Father read over the top of the parchment as well.

**_Master Malfoy,_**

_**I thought it best to remain formal, considering. **_

_**Firstly, I wish to say sorry. I am sorry not for lying to you, but for not telling you sooner even though I know I wouldn't have been able to. Not while keeping you safe at the same time. I am rather pleased Dumbledore is dead. That event led to me telling you early. Today's discussion (or yesterday's, depending when you read this) only occurred because Dumbledore was no longer alive to interfere. Had he been, I would have been unable to come clean until my Birthday. **_

I lied to you Draco, to protect you. Not to hurt you or make you cry or feel betrayed, believe me. It hurt me as much as it is hurting you. I love you, whether you chose to believe me or not and I will always love you. As Long As You Want Me.

_**Although, I suppose this letter means you don't want me anymore. It's such a long story Draco, and most of it I already told you. Did you even listen, or were you too busy jumping to conclusions? It gets really repetitive, having to explain myself to people over and over. **_

_**Secondly, I was going to beg your forgiveness, but it seems rather pointless if you're only going to tolerate me because I begged you too. If you want to forgive me you can, but not because I asked you too. But because you love me: do you?**_

_**You said, 'I Will Always Want You'. Does it still ring true Draco? If it does, I'm waiting for you. You know where to find me. If it doesn't, then goodbye, I suppose. **_

_**I will always love you, and I am sorry I hurt you, don't doubt it. Be happy; love, because I asked you to. **_

"He left me?" Draco asked breathlessly. He felt as if someone had reached inside of his chest and was squeezing his heart; trying to wrench it out of his chest. "He left me?" He asked again, sounding just as broken.

"You left him Draco," Lucius said sternly. "Ask yourself, do you love him?"

"Yes," Draco replied after a second's hesitation.

Lucius smiled and picked up Ryder's ring. He put it in Draco's hand and closed the fingers around it, before taking away the parchment and contract termination. "Then why are you still here?"

Draco almost jumped out of the bed. He threw on a pair of trousers that were lying on the floor and ran to the floo, "see you tomorrow," he called before crying, "Lestrange Manor."

He took a deep breath, as he stood outside of Ryder's bedroom door. The last time he waited here Ryder had torn his world in two. Now, he hoped, Ryder would be willing to piece it back together – to make everything how it was before. He pushed opened the door and walked into the room, closing the door behind him. Still wearing the trousers he crawled onto the bed – like Rose had done earlier – and lay down behind Ryder.

With one arm over the brunette's waist, Draco sighed, and nuzzled his face against his fiancés neck. "You came back?" Ryder asked sleepily. He had woken when the bed dipped.

"I will always come back," he vowed as he pushed Ryder's ring back onto the boy's finger. He pressed a kiss against Ryder's cheek, smiling as the brunette drifted back to sleep. He lay down and closed his own eyes. His fingers laced with Ryder's, the hands resting over Ryder's stomach, as he fell asleep.

He would always want Ryder.

**XXX**

(9th April 2007)

Ok, my Brother's birthday was yesterday so my mum let me on the computer cause I was good and took loads of pictures without complaining. I posted two one-shots (KISS IT BETTER and PUREBLOOD TRADITION) yesterday if you want to check them out. I'm on today because my mum seems to have forgotten I'm banned. She'll probably re-ban me after Easter break is over, so if she does… enjoy this chapter (because it might actually be the last till June lol).

(31st March 2007)

**Someone asked WHY WAS RYDER IN GRYFFINDOR so here is my answer**: Harry was meant to be abused, neglected, and a Gryffindor like his parents (the same way Draco was expected to get into Slytherin because his parents did).

Before Voldemort came back in fourth year, Dumbledore's control of the public rivalled if not exceeded the ministries. At least that's how I pick up what JK means; everyone really only takes Fudge as a joke, but listens to Dumbledore.

So, I think, Dumbledore had Sirius sent to Azkaban using that power; because if he defeated a Dark Lord, he must know about them right? And if he says Sirius works for the Dark Lord? Everyone is going to believe him, and convict him without trial.

Rose is also, though she wont admit it, afraid of Dumbledore. He isn't passed killing someone to get what he wants; he is rather Machiavellian! He wants to get rid of Rowena, and to do that, he'll have to get rid of Voldemort (which is where an easily control Harry comes in), before he can bond with Rose and free the spirits of Rowena and Salazar. If Voldemort dies forever, Salazar does too because there are no more heirs of Slytherin.

If Dumbledore was to realize that Harry hadn't been raised the way he expected, there's a good chance that he could try and arrest Atticus (and/or Violet) which would give him the perfect opportunity to take Rose into 'care'. And send Harry back to the Dursley's.

And Ryder was worried that if he ever found out about the marriage contract, he could try and hurt the Malfoy family. Which everyone would agree with since Lucius got off easily after Voldemort's first fall, and everyone still thinks he is a death eater.

Ryder thinks that by playing the Gryffindor till he's 17 and a legal adult in the Wizarding World, he can 'leave' the Dursley's and leave Hogwarts (because he has Durmstrang NEWTs), and, 'die'. So he can be Ryder all the time. But with Dumbledore's death, Ryder's plans are messed up, but he is no longer in danger from Albus.

Albus can't hurt him now; which means he doesn't care who knows before he turns 17 - which is why he is telling his friends early.

Hey everyone, (29th June 2007)

I know I usually update on a Saturday or a Sunday, but I can't this weekend.

Number one, tomorrow (Friday) I'm going to England, and my dad's Internet is broken as far as I know. If it isn't I will try very hard to get CHAPTER 10 of WOLF written and posted, but no promises (you'll find out why in a minute).

Secondly, my mum has banned me from the COMPUTER and the INTERNET. My school report went home for the mocks I insisted I failed, and I did badly!! So I'm banned, so I can revise again (like I did so much last time).

And if my mum sent my report to my dad without telling me, I'll be killed when I get to England and he won't let me on the computer either.

So I really won't be back till June this time, which is EIGHT WEEKS away (till my exams end) if you count Easter.

But I can't feel sorry for you all not having an update (even though I should), because in the summer I'll feel sorrier for myself when my mum kicks me out for failing! SORRY! But I can't afford that, because I have nowhere else to live… and she really would kick me out!

My apologizes (and hopes I pass my exams in June),

Much love and I hope I don't lose any readers,

Aisling x


	12. Beyond The Grave

Here is the next chapter. Sorry it is so late. I just got a job… and I still haven't started to revise! Ah well, at least I'll have a job if I don't get into college!

I did a sequel to KISS IT BETTER, if any of you care to go over and have a look. It's called JUST ONCE and its hp/lm.

**Words: ** 5,379

**Chapter 11**

**Beyond The Grave**

While Ryder may not have particularly cared about Ron or Hermione, they truthfully were very fond of their supposed best friend. When Harry disappeared from Gryffindor Tower the night of Dumbledore's murder, each of them had been frantic with worry, fearing that Harry may have been kidnapped in the attack. They were exceptionally relieved to find he had returned safe and sound, even if he was acting oddly. Of course it had been the golem to return to them. Hedwig had also been mysteriously absent, but both of the children were so relieved to have their friend back they never questioned that fact.

They had questioned Harry for hours of course. But the boy hadn't told them anything other than 'I was stunned' or 'he was wearing a mask'. Ryder had thoughtfully only imparted that much knowledge onto the golem this time around, just encase anyone used Veritaserum.

Neither was put off by Harry's odd behaviour, and even sent letter after letter to the brunette on their first day home. But none were answered. In fact, Harry Potter had ceased to exist as far as Ryder was concerned, so the owl's merely dumped the letters beside a Lestrange house elf, who set them on fire. As they were now a couple, Ron and Hermione were spending the summer at The Burrow – Ron's home.

Because they were together, it made it so much easier for the Gringotts owl's to find them. The two birds drifted in through the open window, bypassing Mrs. Weasley and flew straight over to the couple at the table. Ron didn't bother looking away from his breakfast. Hermione plucked the letters from the owls' beaks and offered them some bacon. With a ruffle of feathers, the two owls flew off, ignoring the bacon.

Ron mumbled something that sounded like "wahs athen?" which Hermione took to mean, "what is that then?" as she rolled her eyes at him.

The rest of the Weasley family looked very interested in the teenagers' mail. They all peered over Hermione's shoulder as she read her own letter, then Ron's.

Hermione's read: **Miss. Granger; Hermione,**

**We Goblins at Gringotts invite you to the Will Reading of Albus P. W. B. Dumbledore. May your gold stay shiny. **

And Ron's was similar, to begin with. **Mr. Weasley; Ronald,**

**We Goblins at Gringotts invite you to the Will Reading of Albus P. W. B. Dumbledore. May you suffer an unfortunate accident, and leave us any gold you may have inherited.**

Ron blinked; he looked around at his family and asked, "what?"

Hermione snorted at him, "I told you it would pay off to campaign for equal rights!" She gave him a grin and rolled up her letter. "I assume we are meant to go today then?" Ron shrugged and carried on eating, splattering his letter with bits of food.

_XXX_

Ryder gave a soft moan and shifted. His arm moved up to lie horizontally across his eyes, blocking out the sun that was streaming in through the gap in the curtains. Beside him on the bed, Draco shifted closer to Ryder. He pressed his face against the brunette's neck and hummed lightly. He licked his lips, wetting them, and his tongue flicked across Ryder's neck. The brunette gasped and rolled over to face his lover.

"Morning," he whispered, pressing a kiss to Draco's silver-blond hair.

A smile stretched across those pale pink lips, as Draco's eyes fluttered open. He blinked groggily and answered, "and what a wonderful morning it is." His smile transformed into a smirk as he ran his hand down Ryder's chest and his fingers encircled Ryder's morning erection.

The brunette arched upwards and moaned. Ryder had pleasured Draco before they finally made love, but Draco had never taken the opportunity nor been granted one to please his mate in return. With a smug grin, Draco wriggled his way down the length of the bed until his face was pressed against Ryder's hipbone. He pursed his lips, and let them brush against the flushed skin lightly.

"I love you, Ryder," he whispered before flicking his tone out to taste the head of the brunette's cock.

Ryder gasped and arched his hips up. "Love you too," he breathed as his hand came to clutch at Draco's blond locks. "More," he ordered.

Draco gave a soft chuckle before obediently opening his mouth wide and swallowing Ryder's straining erection to the root. One hand moved to encircle the root, while the other cupped the brunette's balls and began to roll them in his palm. As far as Draco was concerned, Ryder let out the most delicious sounding noises when he was being pleasured. Draco determined to suck him off more often, because the noises Ryder was making were enough to get him hard on their own.

Panting along with his mate, Draco began to frot against the bed. His hips moved in time with his mouth, as he slipped a hand off of Ryder's cock and down the front of his own trousers. He moaned around the flesh in his mouth as he gripped his own cock and pumped it slowly.

Soon Draco felt Ryder's balls draw up and he could hear the brunette's breath hitching. "Come for me love," he begged, softly. Ryder's hips arched upwards, further towards Draco's mouth, as he came with a cry filled with pleasure. Draco gave a moan as he came in his hand and his trousers. He pulled his head off of Ryder's cock, letting it fall from his mouth limply. He smirked as he looked over his panting lover. There was a sort of pride-filled warmth rushing through him right then – which could have been due to his orgasm, he supposed – at the thought that he, Draco Malfoy, had caused Ryder that amount of pleasure.

He was definitely going to suck Ryder off as much as possible now.

"You didn't," Ryder began, sitting up and reaching for the zip to Draco's pants.

"I did," he assured the brunette. Because he was still wearing the trousers he had on him last night, he was now feeling very sticky. "Can we have a bath?" He asked shyly. Ryder just nodded.

With a click of his fingers, Ryder summoned Suri. "Run a bath, would you?" He asked and the house elf nodded and disappeared. She popped back two minutes later and bowed to the floor, signalling the bath was ready. "Thank you," Ryder muttered as he picked Draco up off the bed, carrying him bridal style towards the bathroom across the hall.

While Draco had trousers on, Ryder was completely naked. Draco gave a squeak when Ryder opened his door and ran into Atticus. The Lord Lestrange raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "Glad to see you made up, boys." He nodded and walked on, taking a sip from his wine glass of blood.

"You're naked!" Draco squeaked again as the bathroom door closed behind him.

That bathroom was directly opposite Ryder and Rose's rooms. It was used only by those two; the only time anyone else was near that bathroom – even to walk passed – was if they were looking for either of the Twins, or if they were going to the attic. The corridor the Twins' rooms were on was the only one that led to the corridor. As opposed to the basement, some of the Lestrange's darker artefacts were kept in the attic as most Wizarding Manor's didn't have one: no Auror ever thought to check for one.

Ryder didn't bother to wonder why his Father was heading to the attic. He let Draco stand on his own two feet before pulling the zip of Draco's fly down. Draco pushed the trousers down his hips, before kicking them off and stepping into the bath. Ryder let his eyes roam over the blond before smiling warmly.

"You are beautiful," he purred as he climbed into the large tub beside Draco. It was the size of a moderate swimming pool – one of the smaller baths in the Manor. "So beautiful, my Dragon."

Draco blushed. "You were naked." He insisted again.

Ryder chuckled. "We are Vampyre, Draco. We enjoy blood and sex, and I have nothing my Father hasn't seen before." He smiled at the blond and shook his head. "We are not like mortals; while we feel embarrassment and shame, it never revolves around nakedness or sex. Do you understand?"

Draco's face screwed up into a mask of confusion. "Are you naturists, then?" He pouted adorably when Ryder laughed at him.

"A little, I suppose."

"Does Rose walk around naked?" He asked worriedly. He had no wish to see his mates Sister or his ex-Lord's Mate naked.

"Yes, but not as often." Ryder promised. "Rowena lived in a time where people bathed and dressed nobility. Many people saw her naked on a regular basis. Rose is a Vampyre so she is unabashed as well. But, I believe, she is more conserved because she knows how jealous her Mate is."

"Ryder," Draco asked hesitantly. He had wanted to know for a long time, but he had never worked up the nerve to ask. "Am I just a lover, or am I your Mate? Do you have a Mate?"

"As I am not a host, I do not have a Mate. As a Vampyre, I have a Destined One. You are mine, Draco; we belong together, we complete each other, we were made for each other. My Mother foresaw it and Father made sure Lucius had us engaged, rather than you and Pansy." Draco gave Ryder a look of distaste at the thought of bedding Pansy Parkinson.

"And to think, she used to be bearable." Draco muttered, leaning back against the side of the tub. It was true. Pansy hadn't been so bad as a child. Draco could even have stomached the idea of marrying her. Until she grew up and found an interest in boys; now she was a bit of a slut, and she had found out about their almost engagement and had taken up Draco-stalking as a hobby. He shuddered. With a smile he watched Ryder take a lap around the bath. "What were you going to do about Dumbledore, originally?"

"Originally, we planned to ruin him. Harry was going to let himself be interviewed by Rita Skeeter and in doing so he was going to spill all of Dumbledore's secrets. Then Harry was going to kill himself, or be murdered by someone we'd have pretended was working for Dumbledore. Rose and Voldemort would have mated, he wouldn't have kept killing, we'd have found a new Minister for Magic and then you and I would have got married." Ryder smiled at the thought, before swimming over to the blond. "And, before they moved on, we'd have let Rowena and Salazar tare Dumbledore apart."

"Why can't you still do some of that?" Draco asked curiously. He stood up and cast a drying charm over his body. He stepped out of the bath and pulled on the clean clothing he had borrowed from Ryder. Ryder followed his lead.

"We still will probably, assuming nothing goes wrong between now and when I turn seventeen." Ryder took hold of Draco's hand when he was fully dressed and pulled the boy from the bathroom.

They walked down the corridor between his room and the bathroom, heading towards the stairs that would take them to the dining room. When they arrived, they took their seats at the table and nodded in greeting to both the Lestrange adults and to Draco's own parents.

"Rose wasn't in her room," Violet said, sounding the slightest bit worried.

Ryder blushed guiltily when he realized that Atticus must have been looking for the Scyring Crystals. While not Dark on their own, they need blood to work. He must have been searching for Rose. Ryder never did tell his parents that Rose had gone out.

"Uh, I sent her to Voldemort." He bit his bottom lip.

"Told you," Atticus muttered to Violet, who glared back. "She wouldn't listen. Mothers," he added with a roll of his eyes. Ryder chuckled lightly, but Violet wasn't as amused.

"Well," Ryder started still blushing, "good morning."

"Good morning, Ryder." Lucius and Narcissa chimed with soft smiles. "I take it you made up," Draco's Mother stated, rather than asked.

"We did," Draco said softly anyway. He picked up his fork and started eating the scrambled eggs off the plate a house elf had left in front of him. Ryder didn't eat anything; he picked up the wine glass that had been laid in front of him and drank, what Draco could guess wasn't wine.

"So, when Rose comes back, we should begin a plan of action." Ryder said with a frown. "Shall Harry die or come clean?" Narcissa looked very confused and Lucius flushed.

"I wasn't sure if I was allowed to tell her," the blond excused himself. Violet gave a small laugh and stood up. Narcissa followed the other lady from the room to get an explanation.

"Keep eating," Atticus suggested. "We will continue when Rose is with us."

Draco's hand found Ryder's under the table. Their fingers interlaced. Draco used his other hand to feed himself, a small flush spread across his cheeks as Ryder's grip tightened possessively.

_XXX_

Riddle Manor had once belonged to Muggles. Because of that fact, there was no need to light candles or fires. The house was lighted with electricity and it was relatively easy for someone to install a central heating system in the Manor before Voldemort killed them. He even hired an electrician to install a 'clapper'.

Voldemort lay awake in his bed, in the semi-darkness. Curled against his side was his Mate. With a contented sigh he thought back on the night before. They hadn't gone any further than kissing and some light groping, but it was enough for him. He had waited around fifty years; he wasn't going to begrudge his Mate an extra few weeks.

When he felt his Mate stirring, he clapped his hands together and the lights flickered on. "Hello," he whispered against his – girlfriend's? – cheek. She smiled up at him, before stretching like a cat, a small yawn slipping from between her lips.

"Hello to you too," she said softly. "How are you?"

"Just fine, Madam." Salazar said as Voldemort's eyes changed from red to black. "And yourself, Milady?"

"I am well, thank you Salazar." She pressed a kiss to Salazar's forehead.

The black eyes bled to hazel green as Tom took control of the body. "How did you sleep, Miss. Hammond?"

"Very well, Tom. And yourself?" She asked with a giggle as he picked up her right hand and pressed a kiss to the wrist.

"I slept soundly, love." He gave her a roughish grin before his eyes turned from hazel to a forest green with a red outline. "MATE!" Marvolo screamed and wrapped his arms around Rose's waist. He rolled them over so she was pinned to the bed, before pressing kisses all over her face and neck. Voldemort's eyes were red again, "I apologize, Rose." He said as he rolled off of her. She just laughed loudly.

"It's fine. Really." She assured him, before pulling him to lie back on top of her. "Really fine, in fact." She breathed out against his lips before pressing them together with a soft moan.

Voldemort hissed against his Mate's mouth. His hands grabbed a wrist each and pinned them above her head. "Mine," he hissed as his lips released hers.

"Yours," she agreed as he dived back down for more.

Marvolo smirked, "_see, I am helpful. I got her to kiss you, didn't I?_"

"_You are still an idiot_." The other three replied mentally. Marvolo sulked, but Voldemort didn't care, as he kissed his Mate again and again that morning.

_XXX_

At around noontime, Rose finally went home. At the same time, five Order members – for safety reasons – were escorting Ron and Hermione to Diagon Alley; after all, Harry would have wanted them to be kept safe.

They headed straight to Gringotts, each of them clutching their summons to Dumbledore's Will Reading. The Order members stood around in various places inside the large building. Ron and Hermione approached one of the Goblins at the desk.

Coughing slightly, Hermione tried to get one of the Goblins' attention. "Yes?" It asked impatiently, it's quill still poised to continue its work.

"We were asked to come," she said, handing over the letter.

"It does not say today." The Goblin pointed out.

"Well I assumed it was today. Isn't it?" She asked one hand placed on her hips.

"I don't know." The Goblin said. "Ask him," he pointed at another Goblin, across the room. A scratching sound started up and when Hermione looked back at the Goblin, he had begun to write again.

With a huff, Hermione stalked across the room and slammed the letter onto the desk of another Goblin. "Is this Reading today? Please?" She added as the Goblin just stared at her.

"How would I know? Now, if that is all, I have work to do." He started to write again.

"Just find me someone who knows." She almost hissed. "Harry Potter is my best friend!" She almost shouted. "You have to help me."

The Goblin snorted with laughter, as did the other's that had heard her speak. They all knew, of course, that Harry was actually Ryder. They never forgot a customer, even if they were in disguise. Someone obviously took pity on Hermione and said, "It's today. It actually started a minute ago."

She looked around to thank the person who spoke, but found she was staring down at a goat. The goat in question was rapidly changing from one garish colour to another. Hermione's mouth dropped open and she seemed to choke on what she was about to say.

"My name is Goat. I belong to Aberforth Dumbledore." The goat said. "He really does perform questionable spells on me." The talking goat turned and walked towards Ron. With a snicker, the goat started to chew on the end of Ron's robes.

"Oi," he shouted and smacked the goat across the head.

Goat just huffed and wondered off. "Do you know what room-?" Hermione began, but Goat nodded in the direction of one door before she could finish. "Thanks?" She said uncertainly.

"Did that goat talk?" Ron asked a minute later as they walked into the room where the Will was being read. Hermione just rolled her eyes.

They were two of four people in the room. They sat down and nodded at the Goblin standing at the front of the room. The fourth person had a beard as long as Dumbledore's but rather short hair. His beard was white but his hair was red – like Dumbledore's used to be before he aged. The man appeared to be at least fifty years younger than Dumbledore. He was Aberforth.

He waved at the two teenagers. Then his attention was focused on the Goblin again.

With a glare the Goblin stood up onto a stool. He leant over the podium in front of him and unrolled a long sheet of parchment.

He cleared his throat and began to read. "To my younger Brother, Aberforth, I leave all my worldly possessions. May you find collecting lemon drops a better hobby than casting inappropriate spells on Goat. I will miss you.

"To Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, you have been with Harry in his times of need. You have been steadfast and true," – Hermione cut in with a look at Ron, who blushed, – "and excessively brave. In his time of greatest need, Harry will require your help. He will not ask for it, but you will have to make him accept it.

"It is a long story, but you both deserve the truth. Harry is the only one who can defeat Voldemort. Without Harry, our world is doomed. Yet there are forces that would interfere. You must not let them take Harry! There is a girl named Rose Hammond, she is the Mate of Voldemort. You must not allow them to bond before her seventeenth birthday or all is lost.

"Hermione, I assume you know what a Host is? Both Hammond and Voldemort are Hosts. Their souls must not be bound together! It has been the work of my family for generations to protect the world from the Dark souls of Salazar Slytherin and Rowena Ravenclaw. They have been driven mad by years inhabiting others' bodies. If they were to mate now – when they have never had the chance before – they would undoubtedly kill Hammond and Voldemort and take the bodies for their own.

"Then, I fear, they would go after Harry. You must not let them. Only Harry may kill Voldemort, or he will never be vanquished for good. I trust you both with this enormous task. I leave all of my family's previous records regarding Hosts in your care. Use them well.

Aberforth, you have my permission to help them. Please do. With my deepest regard; Albus P. W. B. Dumbledore."

The Goblin cleared his throat again. "Here is the trunk with those journals." He pointed to the floor. Ron moved over to pick up the small black box. Aberforth took hold of the key the Goblin held out. "The Dumbledore Vault key."

The Goblin left through the door and headed straight to his desk. He penned a quick note to one of Gringotts' best customers before sending it off with an owl. Hermione, Ron and Aberforth remained behind in the room.

"We need to help Harry," Hermione said worriedly.

"What's a Host?" Ron asked but the other two ignored him.

"Yes, I agree." Aberforth shook his head sadly. "That poor young man."

Ron frowned, "hey, do you think Harry knows what a Host is?" They ignored him again. Ron shrugged, and followed the other two as they left the room.

"We may as well go shopping," Hermione suggested when they met up with the adults. "I need a few new books anyway. I have money left over from last summer, anyhow." When everyone agreed, some left to withdraw money and others waited until they returned.

_XXX_

Lucius walked back into the dining room at about twenty past noon to find Rose was already waiting at the table. His Wife, he noticed, had still not returned.

When he had told her everything he knew about Ryder and Rose she had slapped him hard across the face, accused him of betraying her trust and even insinuated he was having some sort of threesome with Ryder and Draco. Then she stormed out of the room in a snit. The last he heard of her, she was heading to the Parkinson's through the floo.

After ten stiff drinks, Lucius figured he had given her ample time to calm down and return.

"We'll start without her." Atticus said and indicated that Lucius should take a seat. He blinked once, rubbed his eyes and blinked again checking to make sure that he was seeing clearly. Atticus laughed. "Yes I invited Severus." Lucius blinked once more.

"Right," he said. "At least I'm not seeing things." He muttered under his breath but Atticus and Rose heard him anyway. Ryder was too busy flirting with Draco to pay attention.

"Rangok informs me that Dumbledore's Will started being read ten minutes ago. His Brother and that Weasley boy were there, along with the Mudblood." He fiddled with a piece of parchment in his hands before laying it on the table and sliding it towards Ryder and Rose – who were seated next to each other.

**My friend, it has come to my attention that the bee plots from beyond the grave. It seems the loss of its stinger was not enough to stop its flight. Your twins are doing well? I hope it continues in that manner. How ever, they should beware the sixth red and try not to get blood dirtied. Snake-Dono should look out for predators; it has a family now. I hope the bee doesn't sting again, my friend. May your gold never lose its value. Rangok.**

Most of the people at the table creased their foreheads in thought, desperately trying to unravel the code. "I didn't get a word of that," Draco was the first to admit defeat.

Rose giggled and explained. "He says Dumbledore is manipulating someone again. Even though he is dead, he has found a way to make sure certain plans are carried out. He says Ryder and I are in danger from him. The sixth red refers to the sixth Weasley child, Ronald. Dirty blood loosely translates to Mudblood, meaning Granger."

Ryder took over. "Dono is a Japanese honorific for Lord. He says Voldemort should watch out for Rose. Meaning Dumbledore is trying to stop their bonding. He hopes we all stay safe and Dumbledore fails. He also hopes our gold never loses its value, but you probably got that bit." He grinned.

"Well," Severus drawled, "things are never dull around you, are they Potter?" He asked with a sneer.

"I am not a Potter." He hissed back.

"Potter or Hammond, I hate you both equally." Snape gave him what could be considered a smile, if you squinted and tilted your head to the left, maybe. The smile did though, to be fair, look more like a grimace.

"Let us not talk about such things," Violet offered, standing up. "Let us go shopping!"

Unknown to them, as they made their way to Diagon Alley, Narcissa in her self-absorbed anger had made a very big mistake. Sighing and pitying herself and the fact that she had been the last to know, Narcissa had told everything to her friend Adriana Parkinson. Now, Adriana had been sworn to secrecy. It was a pity no one thought to put up silencing charms, because listening at the door was Pansy. A very happy Pansy, who couldn't wait to tell Draco that Ryder was really Harry Potter and had been lying for years!

"Now they'll break up and Draco will marry me." She grinned as she pulled on an outer robe over her dress. "Going shopping," she called in to her Mother. "Mrs. Pansy Malfoy," she muttered as she stepped into the floo. "Mr. Draco Parkinson," she considered as she began to spin. She let out a squeal of happiness when she arrived at the Leaky Cauldron and saw Draco's familiar blond head bobbing out of the door.

She ran after them. "Hey Drake," she purred against the blond's ear as she grabbed onto his arm. They walked through the stonewall separating the Muggle world from Diagon Alley. Draco tried to get his arm back but Pansy was holding on tight. "Have you missed me? I have something so important to tell you!"

"Get off me, Parkinson." Draco ordered.

"But Drakey!"

"Don't call me that!" He hissed. He looked over at Ryder for help but the brunette just snickered at his dilemma.

"You won't believe it, but I'll be there to comfort you, don't worry. Ryder doesn't love you." She mock whispered shooting a smug grin in the brunette's direction. "He isn't even Ryder Hammond."

"I know you silly girl," he sneered finally freeing his arm. He waved it a bit, trying to get the blood circulating again.

"But Drake! He's not Ryder Hammond…" Draco began to walk away, the rest of their group having walked ahead. "He's HARRY POTTER!" She screamed when she realized she was losing his attention.

Everyone in Diagon Alley froze. "I am NOT Potter. Potter died, and you were all so foolish never to check on him. Harry Potter doesn't exist anymore. And you Parkinson better keep your fucking hands off my fiancé. Understood?" He had her by the collar of her robe, dangling about three inches in the air. She nodded frantically and he let her fall to the floor in a pile. His arm wrapped around Draco's waist.

"How did she know?" Draco asked confused.

Pansy gave Draco a simpering grin, thinking he would be pleased if she answered. "I overheard your Mother was telling mine. She took a Wizard's Oath of course, but I think they forgot I was home." She fluttered her eyelashes at Draco. Ryder growled low in his throat before his hand came out and struck her across the cheek.

"Stay away from my Mate," he growled. "I won't warn you again."

He turned, pulling Draco with him, and continued down the length of Diagon Alley with his and Draco's family. He tried very hard to ignore the whispered comments and the stares.

Two voices, however, he couldn't ignore. "HARRY!" Hermione screamed as she ran behind him.

"MATE!" Ron called, panting. "WAIT UP!" He yelled when he had his breath back.

Ryder turned to face them and sneered. "Did you not hear me? I am not a Potter. My name is Ryder."

"Dumbledore said you wouldn't accept our help," Hermione sobbed around her words. "But we love you Harry. We're your friends and you have to trust us. We'll make everything ok. We'll fix this. What ever Malfoy has done to you, we'll fix it! And we wont let that Host anywhere near you."

"Yeah mate." Ron nudged Ryder with his shoulder. "We'll get rid of that bitch and you can kill Voldemort and we won't have to worry about any Hosts ever again. Then we'll sort Malfoy out. How dare he curse you?"

"I am not cursed. You will not touch my Sister. Nor will you interfere with her bonding. You will not try to separate me from my fiancé. And, if you have even a modicum of common sense, you will disregard anything and everything Dumbledore said to you."

"But Harry," Hermione whined, "Dumbledore said you'd be like this. And Dumbledore was a great Wizard, of course we should listen to him." Hermione reached out to touch Ryder, who pulled away with a snarl.

"Do not touch me Mudblood," he hissed. "Your very presence offends me. You are an abomination." He ignored the protests made by Ron and he couldn't care less about the way Hermione's eyes watered. He took Draco by the hand and dragged him back towards the Leaky Cauldron. The adults followed, casting furious looks back at the two teenagers.

When they arrived at Lestrange Manor, Ryder's first action was to punch a wall. "That fucking bastard! He's dead, god damn him, he's dead! Why is he still ruining my life? Why won't he just die and leave me alone!" Ryder screamed. With a frown, Draco pulled the brunette into his arms and let him cry against his shoulder. Everyone else ignored the small sobs emanating from the usually composed young man.

When Lucius flooed home later, he was met by a very sheepish Narcissa who even tried to floo into Lestrange Manor to apologize, after Lucius told her Ryder was angry and upset. She was advised that it wouldn't be the best time, right then.

Rose ran straight to Voldemort when they arrived home, allowing Rowena to come into control of their body and assure them both that neither Salazar nor Voldemort were injured in anyway.

Ron and Hermione headed back to The Burrow, having lost the battle but refusing to give up the war. They were determined to save Harry from the Malfoys and Hammonds alike. To do that, they knew, they would have to read everyone of those journals in that little black trunk. When they opened it up, unsurprisingly, neither Kerrigor's nor Emmanuel's journals were inside. Both had been hidden shortly after Salazar's death, they could only be summoned by someone with Dumbledore blood; both were the only two that contained the truth about the Dumbledore vendetta against the Hosts.

After all, if people knew the truth – that Emmanuel Dumbledore and his get were driven on by jealously and spite – no one would be as willing to help him in his task. All evil had to be wiped from the world, in Emmanuel's opinion, and what was more evil than someone who seduced another man's intended?

Both Salazar and Rowena would pay the price for humiliating a Dumbledore! No matter who had to perish in the crossfire.

**XXX**

Did you hear about the goat in the Sudan? In North Africa, I think?

Apparently some farmer caught this guy shagging his goat and reported him to the Village Elders. The Elders made the man marry the goat, and he had to pay a dowry and everything for the goat. The farmer was pleased though; he got to keep the dowry. Lol.

Thought it seemed appropriate considering Aberforth Dumbledore's goat makes an appearance.

I decided not to be cliché. Ron and Hermione won't be 'evil-Harry-betraying-friends'. They really, genuinely do care for Harry. And think he has been brainwashed or cursed into believing he is Ryder. They want to 'save' their 'friend'; not ruin his life.

Anyway, please review!


	13. Intervention

For those of you who didn't pay attention to some parts of the last chapter… I will clarify.

Ron and Hermione know Ryder is Harry (even though they look different) because Pansy screamed "but he's Harry Potter" while pointing at Ryder loud enough for all of Diagon Alley to hear.

No, the information about the Hosts is not lost forever. If you can't remember (or didn't pay enough attention) Hermione and Ron inherited a trunk through Dumbledore's will. Every diary by a Dumbledore (except Kerrigor and Emmanuel) is in that trunk. They are filled with lies passed down by Emmanuel; so don't take what they say seriously. Propaganda material, understood?

Any other silly questions, now?

Oh, one more thing… Who else apart from one ANON reviewer thinks I rushed things with Hermione and Ron finding out who Ryder was?

**Words: ** 4,708

**Chapter 12**

**Intervention**

Hermione Granger had always prided herself on being calm, composed and level headed. Never once had she lost control of a situation or let things spiral out of control before. When she had been a child, she had never had many friends. All the other children thought she was 'boring' but Hermione knew it was because she was mature. She didn't behave like they all did. She didn't break things, or dirty things, or be loud and unruly. She was always quiet, with her nose in a book. Of course the little rats thought she was boring.

When she went to Hogwarts, she really hadn't expected anything to change. She wasn't at all surprised when Ronald Weasley began to pick on her for her books and the way she was always studying. Just because she wanted to do well and he couldn't even pronounce 'Levi-o-sa' was not her fault.

Of course, then Harry Potter had come along and rearranged her whole life. When the boys had appeared in the doorway of the girls bathroom that Halloween in first year, she was sure they were there to laugh at her. And then she had seen the Troll, and she figured they were still there to laugh at her and watch her die. But Harry had saved her! She had been overjoyed to have her first – two – friends. She had been more pleased that she could have ever imagined being. She had never known there was a state of happiness akin to what she felt when Harry gave her a Christmas present. Her first present from someone her own age.

Even her cousins disliked her.

Harry continued to be her friend, the year after that, and the year after that, and the year after that one too. Harry would always be her friend, Hermione knew, and Ron would realize he was in love with her and they would get married. Hermione always thought that Ginny was misguided in the opinion that Harry would marry her.

Ginny, Hermione guessed, reminded Harry too much of Lily Potter. And considering Harry looked just like his Father, James, it would be disturbing in many senses. Plus, Hermione had the nagging feeling that Harry was gay anyway. Not that it mattered to her; Harry was her friend.

Hermione would have walked across burning coal, swam across the red sea, even battled flying monkeys without her wand to protect Harry. And when Dumbledore's Will told her he needed her, she would have killed anyone who stood in her way of protecting her friend.

She expected Dumbledore was right. Harry never did like asking for help. He never ever admitted anything was wrong with him. So Hermione expected Harry to deny it. She expected Harry to shout and rave and tell everyone to leave him alone, and to stay out of his business. She even expected that he might hit Ron, if Ron started being his usual unthinking self.

She never expected Harry to deny that he was Harry!

When she, Ron and Aberforth had left Gringotts the first thing she had noticed was that, right at the other end of Diagon Alley, she could see a flash of Malfoy blond hair.

"Come on, Ron," she shouted when she heard shouting from the direction Malfoy was in. She took Ron's hand and pulled him towards the entrance to Diagon Alley. Aberforth didn't follow them. He collected Goat, and went home. The Order Members hadn't even noticed the children leave the bank.

When they were half way there, Hermione recognized Pansy Parkinson clinging tightly to Malfoy's arm. The elder Malfoy was standing beside Professor Snape and two other adults. There was another boy, who Hermione guessed was the strangers' Son, because he looked similar, standing just behind Draco.

With a snarl, that boy moved closer to Draco and hissed something that made Parkinson's face go red. Hermione saw her mouth move, but she couldn't hear what was being said.

Everyone had stopped what they were doing. They all had turned to stare at the spectacle in front of them. Hermione pulled at Ron's arm and tried to get closer. She didn't know why, but she knew that what Parkinson was saying was going to be very important.

"But Drake! He's not Ryder Hammond…" Hermione frowned. Hammond, she thought, wasn't that the name of Voldemort's Mate? The adults in the group turned and carried on walking into the Alley. Draco finally pulled away and began to follow. Hermione frowned, her brow creasing as she strained to hear what was being said.

Pansy suddenly screamed. "He's HARRY POTTER!"

Everyone in Diagon Alley froze. Hermione nearly fell over from shook. Ron was stood behind her with his mouth hanging open unattractively. "I am NOT Potter. Potter died, and you were all so foolish never to check on him. Harry Potter doesn't exist anymore. And you Parkinson better keep your fucking hands off my fiancé. Understood?" He had her by the collar of her robe, dangling about three inches in the air. She nodded frantically and he let her fall to the floor in a pile. His arm wrapped around Draco's waist.

"How did she know?" Draco asked confused. Hermione couldn't hear what he said, but he looked worried.

She moved forward, slowly, so not to draw attention to herself. It wouldn't be good if Harry bolted now. Not before she could speak to him. She didn't bother listening to what Pansy was saying now. She did note, however, that Harry began to look angrier and angrier.

Speaking of looks, Harry didn't even look like Harry anymore. Maybe this really wasn't Harry and Parkinson was confused? No but it must be, she decided. He had appeared from nowhere when Harry disappeared. Silly Hermione, while she may have been right, it didn't occur to her that Ryder could have gone to a different school.

"Stay away from my Mate," he growled. "I won't warn you again."

He turned, pulling Draco with him, and continued down the length of Diagon Alley with his and Draco's family. Hermione watched him go, his hands clenched as he pointedly refused to look around him. "HARRY!" Hermione screamed as she ran behind him. She couldn't wait any longer, or he'd be gone.

"MATE!" Ron called, panting. "WAIT UP!" He yelled when he had his breath back.

Ryder turned to face them and sneered. "Did you not hear me? I am not a Potter. My name is Ryder."

"Dumbledore said you wouldn't accept our help," Hermione sobbed around her words. "But we love you Harry. We're your friends and you have to trust us. We'll make everything ok. We'll fix this. What ever Malfoy has done to you, we'll fix it! And we wont let that Host anywhere near you."

"Yeah mate." Ron nudged Ryder with his shoulder. "We'll get rid of that bitch and you can kill Voldemort and we won't have to worry about any Hosts ever again. Then we'll sort Malfoy out. How dare he curse you?"

"I am not cursed. You will not touch my Sister. Nor will you interfere with her bonding. You will not try to separate me from my fiancé. And, if you have even a modicum of common sense, you will disregard anything and everything Dumbledore said to you."

"But Harry," Hermione whined, "Dumbledore said you'd be like this. And Dumbledore was a great Wizard, of course we should listen to him." Hermione reached out to touch Ryder, who pulled away with a snarl.

"Do not touch me Mudblood," he hissed. Hermione felt her breath catch in her throat. This wasn't her Harry, this wasn't the same sweet boy who made friend with her and saved her from life on her own. This couldn't be the real Harry Potter. "Your very presence offends me. You are an abomination." He ignored the protests made by Ron and he couldn't care less about the way Hermione's eyes watered. He took Draco by the hand and dragged him back towards the Leaky Cauldron.

Hermione watched him go as tears slowly trickled down her cheeks. "We have to save him," she sobbed. Ron took her in his arms and nodded silently. He would help save Harry. And then, he decided, when Harry was back to normal, Ron would punch him in the face for upsetting Hermione.

_XXX_

After they had arrived at Lestrange Manor, Rose had immediately gone to check up on her Mate. Voldemort was been rather bemused, finding himself tackled down onto his throne while half his Inner Circle watched. The only reason he wasn't spitting in anger at the humiliation was that, the one doing the tackling, was his Mate. And Rose felt oh-so-very-good pressed against him.

"You ok?" She asked quietly, her face pressed against his neck. He shivered as her warm breath brushed against his skin.

"I am well," he whispered back. "What worries you?" His left hand moved up to cup the back of her head. His fingers began to card through her hair. The Death Eaters watched in shock. When Rose didn't reply, he waved his right hand in the air. As one, the gathered minions bowed low to the ground and apparated out of the room.

"They'll hurt you!" She cried, pulling away to look at him. Her hands came up, so she rested one palm on each cheek. She met his eyes and refused to look away.

He covered each of her hands with his larger ones. "I am a Dark Lord. No one can hurt me," he said cockily.

"Except Ryder?" She asked with a cheeky smile. Voldemort just rolled his eyes, glad to have at least made her smile. "Granger and Weasley think they are helping Ryder, they think they can 'save' him. I don't know what Dumbledore has told them, so I can't protect any of you!"

"We are all older than you, remember. Your Brother and I." He said slowly. She pulled away with a snarl. Her eyes were Ravenclaw blue.

"I am Ryder's guardian! If I cannot protect him, who can? I cannot even protect my Mate!" Rowena sobbed softly and turned her face away. "I'm so scared, Salazar!" She confessed.

Voldemort looked torn for a moment before nodding his head softly. With his permission, Salazar Slytherin took control of the body, and looked directly into his Mate's eyes; meeting her blue with his black eyes.

"Rowena, you have no cause to fear. Milady believe me, if anyone can survive the kindness those children wish to bestow, it is Ryder. He has dealt with them before; let him handle this on his terms. We will be together soon, no need to fear, my love." Salazar's hand pressed to Rowena's forehead before he slid it lower, trailing his fingers over her nose and lips before cupping her chin. He raised her head higher and bent to press his lips to hers. "Do not fear. We are so close."

"And that's why I fear, Salazar!" She cried and pulled her face away. "We are close. Closer than we have ever been before. I don't think I can bare losing you again!"

"YOU WILL NOT LOSE ME!" Salazar finally lost his temper and screamed at his Mate. Rowena flinched back, her eyes wide. "You will never lose me. No matter what they do, I will always be waiting."

"Unless they kill Voldemort. And then your line will end. You will not be here anymore. You will have left me." She whispered brokenly, her eyes trained on the floor.

"Ridiculous. Do you honestly believe I would not move the Heavens to find another Host? I would sell what small part of my soul I have left to the Fates for the chance to be with you." Salazar moved closer to Rowena and pressed their lips together. With a sigh, Rowena relaxed against her Mate, and gave in to the kiss. "I will never leave you."

"We still are not safe, my Lord."

"Milady," Salazar protested but she cut him off.

"We will never be safe while Dumbledore is alive."

"He is dead. His line is over! There are no more!" Salazar cried, even as his eyes bled to hazel. Tom frowned recognizing Salazar's mistake.

"There is a Dumbledore alive. Albus lives on through those misguided children. Aberforth continues the line through blood and birth. Do you honestly believe he will not continue the Dumbledore crusade as well?" She gave a humourless laugh. "We will not be safe, until we are dead."

"I cannot wait until Rose turns seventeen." Tom said with a small smile. His hand reached out to brush Rowena's hair from her face. Rose looked at him, smiling at him and blushing lightly. Her green eyes sparkled with tears. "I cannot wait until you turn seventeen." He corrected.

She smiled at him softly. "Nor can I." She moved into the safety of his arms, allowing him to wrap them around her waist and hold her close. When Marvolo came to the surface Voldemort wanted to cry. Fortunately the nineteen-year-old didn't do anything embarrassing to ruin the mood. Instead, he began to sing. Voldemort blushed mentally at the sound.

"Hold on to love, that is what I do, now that I've found you. In the night I could be helpless, I could be lonely, sleeping without you. And in the day, everything's complex. There's nothing simple when I'm not around you. But I miss you when you're gone, that is what I do. And it's hard to carry on." Marvolo trailed off as his eyes turned from forest green to red. Voldemort smirked against the top of his Mate's head.

"That was… depressing." Rose commented. "I thought you were meant to be cheering me up?"

"I've been kissed by a rose on the grey. There is so much a man can tell you, so much he can say. You remain my power, my pleasure, my pain." He laughed at her glare. "Still don't approve, I take it?" She swatted him lightly on the arm.

"I didn't take you for a romantic, Voldemort."

He just stared at her for a moment. "You'd be surprised, my love." He said at last, before wrapping his arms back around her, and burying his face into her raven black hair. "You became the light on the dark side of me." He whispered the words now, no longer singing, as Rose began to hum along. "The more I get of you the stranger it feels."

"Strange?" She asked quietly, not moving away from him.

"I have never been in love before." Voldemort said slowly. "I have never known love before. Yet, the more time I spend with you, the faster and faster I fall. And it is strange. It is strange how I can feel so much, when I have never felt a thing before. I had no heart, but I feel. It is strange, but I mean you no offence."

Rose beamed up at him, though he couldn't see it. "You had no heart?" He nodded. "I gave you mine." She said softly. She sighed and pulled away. "I love you." Voldemort just stared at her, with his mouth open. "You think you can love me, but not be loved in return?" She snickered, "I don't think so mister Dark Lord. Turn about is fair play, after all. I love you," she repeated. "I love you. Ich liebe dich. Um, how do you say I love you in French?"

Voldemort gave a snort of amusement, before he grabbed her tightly under the arms and lifted her off the floor. He swung her around in the air, and she screamed and laughed and begged to be put down, but he just span her faster.

It was strange, him acting like this. But then, love made people to strange things. Like laugh, and live, and feel. Voldemort was in love. And he wouldn't give the feeling up for the world. Aberforth Dumbledore had better mind himself, Voldemort snarled.

"_I agree fully, Voldemort_," Salazar snarled back at him.

Tom frowned, then sighed. "_And those annoying children too_."

"_Why are we talking about this?_" Marvolo asked with a sneer. "_Our Mate is there, amuse her._"

The other three mentally smacked him across the head. "_Although_," Voldemort conceded. "_For once, the idiot is right_."

Rose smiled up at him when Voldemort finally set her down on the ground. "I was wondering," she began before biting her lip nervously. "Would you like to come to my home tonight? You can meet my family."

"When they aren't out for my blood?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well." She shrugged her shoulders. "That was an extreme situation." She took his hand, and not giving him time to argue, she pulled him into her arms. Then she apparated them outside Lestrange Manor. "Mi casa, su casa," she said with a giggle. "Come inside." He followed her meekly. He was very proud to admit that he did not flinch from the look Ryder Hammond sent in his direction the second he entered the Study behind Rose.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all."

"Shut up and sit down," Ryder growled while pulling Draco closer to him. Rose shot him a glare but he ignored it. "Now Rosie, if you'll ignore Jim for a while. Could you find a way to get whatever Granger and Weasley inherited?"

"I shall try, Brother of mine." Rose said softly as she pushed Voldemort down into a chair. "I shall try, very hard." She promised and left the room to do as she had been asked. Voldemort looked around nervously, and gulped.

"I'll, uh, help?" He started to stand. Atticus moved to his side, and with a hand on Voldemort's shoulder, he urged the Dark Lord back into the chair.

Voldemort watched Rose leave the room and sighed. "_My Mate, why hast thou forsaken me?_" Voldemort asked dramatically.

"_SHUT UP_," the other three said.

_XXX_

Ron and Hermione Granger spent the rest of the day in Ron's room. Since their meeting with Harry-cum-Ryder, neither of them had mentioned the cruel things the other boy had said. But Hermione had yet to wipe the tears from her face.

She pulled the trunk Dumbledore had left them out of her pocket and un-shrank it. When it was full sized she took a deep breath, and opened it.

The trunk was filled from top to bottom with journals and diaries and scrolls of parchment. She picked up a scroll and unrolled it.

_The year of our Lord, 1034. _

_The abominations must be vanquished. My great-Uncle Emmanuel has been unsuccessful in his killing of Slytherin. The man has returned and taken Host inside Harare. The filthy Dark Wizard! _

_Rowena Ravenclaw still lives. She must be killed also. Unfortunately, she is too well protected. She has always been the strongest of the Founders; I have not an idea why many feared Slytherin. He was weak. Killed by a mob, how unfitting. _

_I do regret the death of his Son, but as I was not there, I am not guilty and have nothing to regret. Well, at least that is settled then. _

_Now. While you, my Son, may feel some pity for Harare, do not let it overwhelm you. You must stay firm, my Heir, and you must kill him before he can spawn (like the monster he is). He cannot be allowed to breed. If he procreates, we are doomed. Harare will be killed and his body stolen by Slytherin. Rowena has already been rumoured to have copulated with her Grandson; how much worse would society be if she married him? Because he was Slytherin now! I cannot even bare to think about it. _

_Do not question this task, my Son. Only fulfil it. The line of Host must be stopped. I only pray, Rowena does not die and become reborn as well. It would be so much harder to defeat the two of them together. If, when I am gone, there are two Hosts… may Merlin have mercy on you if you let them bond. DO NOT! _

_My hopes and dreams are left in your care, dear Son. Do not fail me. _

_Reginor Dumbledore: Grandson of Polethes, who is Brother to Emmanuel Dumbledore._

Hermione re-rolled it, her back stiff as she dropped it into the trunk. "Oh Harry," she whispered.

"Is it that bad?" Ron asked, his already pale skin had paled further leaving his freckles to take dominance of his face.

"Worse than I ever thought it could be. Oh Ron, what will we do? We need help, but only Aberforth can help us. Dumbledore said."

"Well, we'll ask him." Ron shrugged and grabbed a scroll of his own.

"How are we meant to find him?" Hermione asked as she lent over his shoulder to read as well.

"We'll think of something." Ron mumbled.

_The year of our Lord, 1134. _

_There have been no Hosts. _

_Since Harare died, his Son has shown no obvious signs of possession. Morticus Gaunt, I thank the powers, is free from Salazar Slytherin. I only pray it lasts. _

_Rowena Ravenclaw's granddaughter, Allya Malfoy had a Daughter of her own, Cassandra Black. But neither has shown signs of possession. On a different note, it seems rather popular for Malfoys and Blacks to intermarry, does it not? Well I suppose there are enough of them to spare. Auguste Malfoy has at least twelve Sons. How his wife managed I don't know, when mine could barely give me two. And weak fools they are as well. I thank the Fates I was gifted with Anna. My Daughter, this scroll is for you. _

_You must be warned, and there is no one else to warn you but I. All of our ancestors are dead now, killed by filthy Slytherin and his whore-bride. I will not let them get you also, through ignorance or spite. I will make sure you are able to protect yourself. While I write this, you are barely a year old. But you will be trained as you grow. I think I'll get you a wand on your fifth birthday; you should be strong enough by then. Dumbledores are always powerful (if you exclude your idiotic Brothers, they take after their Mother). _

_Will my love and protection. _

_Your Father, Excedus Dumbledore: Son of Reginor. _

"Well the Hosts are gone, that's great!" Ron said, idiotically.

Hermione slapped him across the back of the head and grabbed a diary this time. "They come back, moron." She hissed.

"How do you always know everything?" He asked amazed at her knowledge.

She rolled her eyes. "I know, Ronald, because we are trying to save Harry from them."

"Oh," he muttered. He stood up, "I'll go ask Mum if she knows where I can find Aberforth ok?" Hermione nodded and kept reading.

_XXX_

Rose ran back into the study as if the hounds of Hell were on her trail. Voldemort jumped out of his chair in worry. Ryder shoved him back into the chair as he walked passed. "What?"

"Come quick." She panted.

"You found something?"

"Someone," she amended as she ran from the room. Ryder followed.

A moment later, after Rose's guest had been briefly interrogated by Ryder, the three entered the study again. Ryder slumped down next to Draco; the blond wrapped an arm around his lover's waist and leant against the brunette's side. Rose sat down on Voldemort's lap and leant back against his chest. His arm encircled her waist.

Aberforth Dumbledore stood in the threshold of the room and looked around nervously. "Oh, hello everyone? Would you like a peanut? I have a whole bag! I'm afraid I had to leave Goat outside, but he doesn't eat house-elves so I suppose he'll be fine for a few moments."

"Hello Aberforth, may I call you that?" Ryder said, with a half smile on his lips.

"Why, Mr. Hammond, you may indeed."

"Call me Ryder, I think I'm going to like you." The Vampyre grinned.

Lucius, who had left to find his wife, came back through the fireplace then and took his seat. Severus was called as well, for his opinion but company mind you, and when everyone was facing Aberforth… he belched in their faces.

"Pardon me!" He rubbed his stomach, and blushed. "My Brother left me a bag of lemon drops, they don't agree with my stomach. I've been doing that all day." Everyone gave him a look of disgust. He gave them a half-grin. "Have you got a pensive? I'd like to show my memory of the Will reading, if you all wouldn't mind?"

Atticus got out of his chair, and left the room. He came back with a small granite bowl in the palm of his cupped hands. He placed it on the coffee table and un-shrank it. "Be my guest," Atticus said with a wave of his hands.

When the memory had finished playing out, Rose growled. "We need to get that trunk."

"I think," Aberforth said hesitantly. "They might ask me for help."

"Then help them, and," Ryder smirked as he spoke, "help yourself to that trunk. Bring it here when you have the chance. They are probably all lies anyway."

"There is a real one, a real diary," Aberforth whispered. "The two that tell the truth. The two first ones. Only someone with Dumbledore blood can call for them. The children will never know the truth without them."

"Then call them," Voldemort said firmly, his wand pointed at Aberforth.

"It is not that simple." He said, turning his face away. "You need the blood of a Host."

"You have two to choose from," Rose said with a raised eyebrow.

"Once they start bleeding, a portal will be opened to another dimension. The longer the portal is open, the more the wall between worlds disintegrates. The portal will not close until the blood stops flowing."

"Well, that lowers your options down to one." Rose said with a shrug. "So kill me, I'm immortal. Plus, I'm sure dying can't hurt that much."

"Are you insane?" Voldemort asked. He looked horrified with the idea, but because no one else was protesting, he would.

"Nope, I just want to be happy and safe. If that means dying for a few moments, then I'm fine with it."

"A few moments? Death is eternal!" Voldemort cried, his eyes glaring at her.

"Not for Vampyre. The only thing that truly kills us is being beheaded. If we die otherwise, we wake within hours. We wake weakened and tired and hungry, but we wake none the less." She shot Ryder a sideways glance, "I have survived death before." Voldemort nodded, defeated. "I am not afraid of death. I am afraid of losing you."

"I fear both," he muttered. "Pathetic aren't I?"

"No," she whispered so only he could hear. "Even the bravest man fears what they don't understand. I have known death; I am not afraid anymore."

"It will be well." Atticus said. Draco clung to Ryder's arm fearfully. He had been rather relived when no one suggested they murder Ryder. "By opening the portal, will the diaries come to us?"

"No, the other host must get them. He can bring help." Aberforth turned to face Ryder. As did everyone else in the room.

"No," Draco shouted. He held on tighter to Ryder's arm. "You keep leaving me."

"I ma not leaving. Think of it as me going to Durmstrang for the weekend." He smiled at the blond, who was trembling. "She will need to die, I will not. Think of it like that, love. Compared to Voldemort, you get off lucky."

"We will do this soon." Rose said with determination. She stood and pulled Voldemort out of the chair. "I want to show you my room."

"It's pink!" Ryder shouted out in warning as they left the room. Voldemort gave a slight wince. "We will be free soon." He whispered as the room emptied. Soon it was just he and Draco on the couch. Aberforth had gone to find the children, his parents and Lucius and Severus had gone to the dining room, and he and Draco were alone.

"I love you," Draco whispered, "come back to me."

"I always will."

**XXX**

Some of the first part of this chapter is taken from the last (chapter 11). The songs are "When You're Gone" by The Cranberries, and "Kissed By A Rose" by Seal. I wanted to add a light fluff scene. And singing works so well.

Thank you for reading and reviewing. Sorry if I sounded annoyed in the start of chapter A/N. See you later.


	14. Complication

I'm at 156 pages on my word.doc lol! Yay!

Here is the next chapter. Wow it's a lot shorter than I thought it was. It seemed really long while I was writing it. Anyway. I hope you enjoy it! Please review.

**Words: ** 4,098

**Chapter 13**

**Complication**

_The Year of Our Lord, 1234,_

_Yet another century has passed since my father began his records of the tainted ones. The fiend Slytherin has resurfaced, blighting Ileum Gaunt. He has damned the boy to his own sorry fate, for one cannot be live while the other survives. To be rid of this evil, both must be slaughtered: even if one is only a seven-year-old male-child. _

_I must confess I was rather apprehensive. Father insisted they would return even though Harare had not been under the possession… but I had hoped (for the sake of that child and my place in the Next World) that it would not be so. I had prayed for freedom… and peace. _

_But alas, the evil haunts us once more! Damn, vile, evil man! Nay, ghost! Less that ghost now. Parasite!_

_There are no sightings of his devil bride. Allya Malfoy scarcely lets her child out of doors. Yet, her child is a girl, named Casandra… she is supposedly engaged to a Black. I pity the family. He who falls from grace must be deplored, yet he whose wife drags him from grace, that is another story. Any Heir of Black, in time, will die as well. Unless Allya slips up and I can grab the child before Ravenclaw can appear. But maybe, she will not? Maybe the girl child can be spared? After all, it is not a good idea to cross a Malfoy! _

_Anna Dumbledore; Daughter of Excedus._

Hermione Granger sighed. In truth she didn't understand half of what was going on. Oh, she understood what was being written alright, but she couldn't understand why anyone would kill a child. Why didn't they find a way to banish the spirits without harming innocent children instead?

Ron Weasley looked up at Hermione, noticed her 'thinking face' and looked back down at his own journal again. The journal's covered a span of a century each, each were written by the Son of the Dumbledore who wrote the proceeding journal; all except the one that Hermione had just finished. Again, that was the only journal that indicated any pity towards the harmless children they attempted to slaughter. By guess, Ron would say that Ravenclaw's descendants lived longer than Slytherin's did, and therefore were 'reborn', so to speak, at twice the rate Ravenclaw was.

No wonder, thought Ron, Voldemort was insane! He tried to remember how hard it had been for him waiting three years to work up the nerve to ask Hermione out. He tried to imagine how much harder it would be to wait over half a century. He shuddered.

"What's wrong?" Hermione asked worried.

"Nothing," he replied. "I'm actually feeling sorry for You-Know-Who. I can't believe it!" He shuddered again, this time with horror.

Hermione picked up another journal, written in 1334 by Anna's Son. She opened the front cover and as she was about to read the first line, someone else spoke it out loud.

"The year of our lord, 1334," the voice said. "That sounds like an interesting read. Lemon drop, anyone?" Hermione spun around and gaped at Aberforth. Ron had his wand, foolishly, pointed at the aged man.

"What are you doing here, Sir?" Hermione asked quietly. They didn't question how he had arrived in Ron's room at the Burrow. They merely assumed Molly had let him inside. In fact, Molly was unconscious on the kitchen floor, and Aberforth made sure she wouldn't remember him being here at all.

"Well," Aberforth began, stroking his long white beard; "I was rather hoping to help you in your endeavour."

"Huh?" Ron blinked at him in confusion and Hermione rolled her eyes.

"He wants to help us save Harry and kill the Hosts." She said matter of factly.

Aberforth smirked when their backs were turned. "In a way, yes, I suppose so." Hermione nodded and reabsorbed herself in the journal. "How can I help?" He asked, eyeing the trunk half filled with journals greedily. As the second Son he had no right to them. It was Albus' job to defeat the Tainted Ones, not his. But Albus was dead, and he had no Heir. As far as Aberforth was concerned now, the mantle had fallen to him. And he was not about to let two upstarts steal **his** glory!

"Here," Hermione said, handing him an unread diary. "Take notes, and don't fold down the corners of the pages or spill anything on them or-" Blah, blah, blah: Aberforth tuned out as she dictated to him how to not ruin his own possessions. As if he would be so ungrateful as to desecrate his forefather's own thoughts and emotions. Family heirlooms were to be cherished, the cheek of the girl to think he would ruin these prizes.

He stroked the cover of the journal he was reading.

_The Year of Our Lord, 1414,_

_Lilith Cawl is a Host. Ileum is still alive. He is close to death and she has just begun life. Oh, what sweet irony it would be if they should copulate and the wretched Slytherin should die of heart failure from the act! It amuses me to think thus. _

_But no! They must not, for to do so would free the evil spirits. Why other than they take possession part way if they did not intent to gain full possession through the joining of their earthly vessels? Lilith, the devil's bride, will be taken over by a black-hearted wretch, darker and deeper in Sin that she herself is. Hell will reign on earth! _

_Their joining dooms us. And I will not stand back and watch as it happens. _

_You may wonder why I curse the child, who is yet but 2-years-old. But I assure you, there is a reason. Oseopha Cawl did not have her Daughter baptised. To do such now is punishable by the Ministry! But will they move against them? Of course not! Foolish, money hungry politicians are willing to allow evil to roam free for 30 silver pieces each!_

_To not be baptised is as good as telling a Muggle you are a Witch! She will be burnt, and her family and her friends, and her friends' families, and then, by association, my own friends. Then me, and my family. I will kill her first. _

_Aconite Dumbledore: Son of Anna._

Hermione looked confused as she read over Aberforth's shoulder. "But, Magical folk don't believe in Muggle religions."

"Not now they don't. Not since the 1600's and the Burning Times." He frowned. "Before then, they happily went to church and baptised their young, in the name of fitting in. If anyone thought you were a Witch, you showed your baptismal certificate or your marriage certificate and no one thought you were a Witch anymore. He skipped some pages in the journal.

_The Year of Our Lord, 1454, _

_Lilith was burnt! She was the first from our village. More will follow; preferably Ileum's spawn. If not, then Lilith's child will do well enough to warm our streets during these cold nights. Young Amana Hammond, who sings like a bird, so I'm told. I wonder will she sing as she burns! _

_Burn Witch, burn, burn, burn, burn. It is but a prelude to the flames of Hell! _

_Aconite Dumbledore: Son of Anna._

Hermione trembled and looked over at Ron, her eyes wide with horror. "That's-"

"Honest?" Aberforth suggested with a twinkle in his eye.

"-Disgusting!" She finished, ignoring the old man's comment. "I need some air." She muttered and stood, making her way out of the room. Ron stood up, and without a word to Aberforth, left the room after his girlfriend.

When the door had closed behind them, Aberforth quickly gathered up the scattered journals and tucked them back into the trunk. He closed the lid and shrank it, tucking it into his pocket. With a smirk, he took hold of the Portkey Atticus Lestrange had given him, and left the room without a sound. He arrived safely in Lestrange Manor.

In the next room over, the Hosts soaked in water rich with purifying herbs, as Voldemort was currently being bathed by his equally as naked Mate. At the other side of the Olympic sized bathtub, Ryder lazily swam laps around his own half of the tub. Atticus had forbid Draco from entering the room, so Ryder was alone.

When they were all bathed, and thoroughly cleaned and purified, the three of them exited the tub. Still wet they dressed in loose white robes that were almost transparent as they clung to the wet skin beneath them. They pulled the white hoods up over their heads to hide their faces.

They entered the room where Aberforth waited. Currently he was reading out of a journal he found buried at the very bottom of the trunk. "Don't touch it," he warned Ryder as the brunette reached out for it. "It will harm anyone who isn't a Dumbledore." He raised his hand to show them a line of blood across the palm. Ryder unconsciously licked his lips at the sight, and then shuddered when he realized he was contemplating eating a Dumbledore – touching a Dumbledore.

"Shall we begin?" Voldemort asked tersely.

Aberforth stood up and, carrying the journal with him, began to take the people in the room by the elbow and pull them into position. Rose was stood at the centre of the room. To the North of her stood Voldemort, with Ryder to the South. At the East, Aberforth lit a black candle, its flame blazed white. To the West, a white candle with a black flame was lit. He stood behind the white candle. Draco was behind Voldemort, as Ryder's lover, and behind Ryder stood Lucius, as Voldemort's servant.

"Let's begin." He smirked at them.

Rose took up a dagger and cut the palms of both her hands. She held them out to the side, as if crucified, and watched silently as blood dripped slowly down to pool on the floor, forming a circle around her feet by magic.

"Most Ancient, I bid thee, open thy jaws and swallow us whole. Purge this world. Bring forth the other."

Ryder frowned as he listened to the incantation. It didn't sound very friendly, and he suddenly regretted volunteering to help out: well, being volunteered by someone else then.

The blood that had made a circle around Rose's feet began to rise, until a ring the width of two men encircled her chest. Blood kept falling from her hands to the floor, and rising up until it was at her waist. Another ring formed around her knees. These began to stretch, as if attracted to each other on a molecular level, creating a wall separating Rose from the others in the room. She screamed as the blood began to boil and evaporate until there was no more red liquid there. Instead, a large white portal had appeared.

"Go through," Aberforth ordered. "You have until the bleeding stops."

Ryder stepped forward but as he moved a dagger flew through the air and hit him in the shoulder. Aberforth laughed and jumped forward. With a shove, Voldemort fell into the portal. Unfortunately, Draco was standing far closer than he was meant to, and he was pushed through as well. As Draco's head disappeared, another dagger soared across the space between the portal and Ryder, and struck Rose. With a cry, the portal disappeared. Atticus moved at once, moving to Rose's side and removing the dagger from her heart. Ryder tackled Aberforth.

"Give him back!" The young Vampyre screamed. Lucius moved forward, wand pointed at Aberforth.

"Where did you send my Son?" Lucius ordered. "Open the portal again."

"There's no point," the aged Wizard said. "He was an accident. But nothing more, in my mind, than a casualty of war. He was not purified. The portal probably killed him." Aberforth laughed when Lucius' hand began to tremble. "Well, I don't know. Only Emmanuel ever went through the portal."

"You said you knew what was in there!" Ryder screamed, reaching out to throttle the man.

"I lied." He hissed back. "When did I ever say I was helping you? When? I help no one, but myself!" He snarled, a look of disgust twisting his features. "The Hosts must die!"

"You've never even read the real journals have you? You've been brainwashed!" Atticus sneered and shook his head, as he cleaned the blood from Rose's hands and chest. "She'll wake soon." Severus moved forward and offered the Vampyre a vial of Blood Replenishing Potion. "Thank you."

Everyone turned to face Atticus as he spoke. When their backs were turned, Aberforth jumped to his feet and dived across the floor to land on top of Rose. With a cackle, he touched his hand to the Portkey in his pocket, still holding onto Rose. They both disappeared, landing in the Burrow, in Ron's room. When he jumped, the trunk full of journals had fallen from his pocket and lay on the floor, waiting to be restored to full size. Lucius noticed it, and handed it to Atticus.

"You trusted him?" The blond asked Ryder quietly.

"No." He said back, just as quietly. "I knew he was fucking with us. Just like he was going to fuck Granger and Weasley over. I took precautions. Voldemort and I would have been safe and able to return in a week's time if something had gone wrong. Rose was under the same spell. I put it in the bath water."

"Then they'll be fine," Lucius said to himself. Trying to believe it.

"Draco wasn't in the water, Lucius. He wasn't supposed to go through, so he wasn't purified. He probably is dead." Atticus said angrily, staring at where Rose had been lying moments before.

"He isn't." Ryder hissed. "I'd know, and he is alive. We need to find Rose and get Aberforth back. I need his blood. We need to open the portal again." Lucius nodded.

"He's ok?" He said, sounding shaky.

"I think so," Ryder muttered looking away, "I hope so."

_XXX_

Voldemort groaned and rolled over. He felt like he'd hardly slept at all. His head was throbbing and his eyes stung and his back had a crick in it the size of the Grand Canyon. His hand moved to the side to reach for his Mate, and he pulled the body against him. Said body gave a very male sounding cry of "oi!" and rolled away from him. He peered over at the body and blinked in shock.

"Malfoy!" He said, sitting up slowly. "Why are you in my bed?"

"I'm not!" Draco crossed his arms over his chest and glared at Voldemort. "You just woke up?" Voldemort nodded. "I've been up for a while, but it hurts to move."

"We're through the portal?" Draco gave a slow nod. "It hurts because you weren't purified, I suppose. Can you move yet?"

"A little." They both stood up slowly. Looking around now, while standing up, Draco thought he recognized where they were. "We're in Hogwarts!" He exclaimed. "Maybe the portal didn't work, and I just fell funny?" He suggested hopefully. He wanted to run to Ryder and be hugged and told he was safe, and that Aberforth hadn't just very nearly succeeded in killing him.

Just then, a bell rang, and two seventh years came around the corner followed by another group of people. All of them were Slytherins. Draco grinned as he spotted Ryder standing beside Blaise Zabini.

"Ryder!" He shouted running over. He didn't think to wonder why school had started up again, when as far as he could remember they were only at the end of June.

Ryder turned to face him and sneered, before taking a step back. "Malfoy?" The brunette drawled. Draco stopped short and frowned, wondering if that was how he had sounded in first year? "What do you want, loser?" Draco blinked.

"Ryder?" He asked hesitantly, now very confused.

The Slytherin Ryder laughed. "My name is Harry you idiot." He laughed again and turned to Blaise. "You know, I often find myself wondering if he would have been worthy of us had he actually had parents!" Blaise snickered.

"Yeah, imagine being raised a Ward of the State. That Minister Riddle is a fruit loop!" The Italian drawled with a smirk.

"Well, it serves Lucius right. Even if Narcissa was an annoying bitch by all accounts, you can't blame him for killing her… only getting caught!" Harry laughed, and every one of the Slytherins in the group laughed along with him. Draco blinked back tears. This wasn't his Ryder, and he didn't like it here. "Aw, it the itty bitty Huff and Duff going to cry on me. Come here and give daddy a hug!" Harry pushed Draco up against the wall and pressed their lips together. Draco pushed at the brunette as tears really did fall over his cheeks. He wanted to go home to his Ryder!

"Come on Potter. Your mum will fit if you're late to Charms again." One of the others called out. When Harry pulled away, Draco looked at him and noticed it was Neville Longbottom, a Slytherin.

"Stupid bitch. I never asked her to work here," He sighed and moved away from Draco. He began to talk in a high pitched voice imitating Lily, "oh Harry, now your at Hogwarts we need to spend more time together. I know, I'm going to be a fuck wad and take a job there, and ruin your life!"

They started walking on. Harry turned back to sneer at Draco once more. "Oh, and a word of advice Malfoy, put out and you might have more friends. Fucking virgin!" He laughed and the others laughed as well. Draco flinched and pressed himself closer to the wall. "At least we can tease that Mudblood Granger during Charms."

"See you in Potions, Malfoy!" Blaise said, wiggling his fingers mockingly at Draco as his arm wound possessively around Harry's waist. There was a Potter engagement ring on Blaise's finger.

When they were all out of the corridor, Draco turned to face Voldemort who was hidden by the shadows. "I want to go home, please?" He sniffled, "can you take us home?"

Voldemort opened his mouth to answer when a boy in Hufflepuff robes ran him into from behind. "So sorry Sir. I was trying to avoid Potter!" He said shakily, in a tone that would have been familiar to Draco had it been spoken in a drawl instead of a shy, timid whisper. He looked around Voldemort and found himself face to face with himself, but in different robes.

"Hufflepuff?!" Draco squeaked, not having been listening to Harry's insults earlier about the House.

"Hello, you look an awful lot like me. Who are you," he flinched back, "if you don't mind me asking?"

"I'm a figment of your imagination. Potter hit you on the head earlier and you're not quite right at the moment." Draco said trying to lie unconvincingly. Voldemort rolled his eyes.

"I see." Hufflepuff Draco nodded.

"Potter came past here earlier. He though I was you. He just said some things and I was wondering-" Draco started but his clone cut him off.

"Oh, Potter is always saying things like that to me. And what's worse is we were supposed to be engaged, because his parents don't get on with Zabini's. But well, they got engaged without permission anyway, because Potter hates me. And what's really pathetic, is that I love him, and he knows and, yeah."

"I thought his parents would have hated yours." Hufflepuff Draco carried on talking to this figment of his imagination as if it was an everyday ordinary thing.

"Oh, well my Father killed my Mother because she joined with Dumbledore's Dark Wizard Hunters, or something, and they sent him to Azkaban. Minister Riddle made me a Ward of the State, so I didn't have to live with Dumbledore, and I was raised by a Muggleborn couple, who live near Diagon Alley in a flat over a shop. They aren't very nice to me, but I wouldn't like to complain, considering they took me in, and all." Draco shrugged and straightened his yellow tie. "The Potters don't mind those parents because they weren't Malfoy's or Black's."

"Right, well you better head to class," Voldemort said, shoving Draco forward. The Hufflepuff looked scared for a minute, and then remembered he had a free lesson. But he dutifully ran off anyway. "So I'm Minister for Magic, and your Father is in Azkaban, and your Mother was on Dumbledore's side. That would seem to me, that Lucius was set up, and Narcissa was following Dumbledore, the newest Dark Lord."

Draco frowned. "And Ryder?"

"Never existed, because I was not around to kill his parents. He was raised as a second James Potter. A bully and a brat!" Voldemort snarled. "I would also assume, that this is a parallel universe where the Hosts don't exist. And that is why the journal was hid here."

"Because no one would know about it!" Draco said, catching on. He wiped the tear tracks off his face. "We should look for them. My bet would be the Headmaster's office."

"But is Albus Dumbledore Headmaster here?" Voldemort sighed. But they both walked in that direction anyway.

_XXX_

When Rose woke up she was tied to a chair. Her hands were bound behind the chair with rope that cut into her wrists but didn't break the skin and allow her to bleed. There was a dirty sock shoved in her mouth that prevented her from crying out. A tear travelled down one cheek before she lifted her head up high and refused to shed another one. Her Mate was in danger, but deep inside of her, she knew he was alive.

And in time, he would reappear before her; in a week if the portal wasn't reopened he would return on his own. The magic that bound them together, mixed with the magic in the herbal bath, had made sure of it. But she feared for Draco. He had none of those protections. But, she knew, Ryder would go to Hell and back to rescue his Mate, no matter the consequences.

She looked up when she heard the door open. Ron and Hermione walked inside the attic at the Burrow and pointed their wands at her. "This is for Harry," they said simultaneously, as if Aberforth had been training them while she slept. "Crucio!" And she screamed, and screamed, until she thought her voice box would implode. And when they finally stopped, she let Rowena take control. And when Aberforth began to curse Rowena, Rose placed her mental hands over her mental ears and hummed to herself as loudly as she could, trying to block out the sound of his laughter.

_XXX_

At Malfoy Manor, Lucius and Atticus were preparing reasons why Aberforth would want to kill Cornelius Fudge. The ex-Minister was already secured in the dungeons of Malfoy Manor, just waiting until they had thought out the plan so they could kill him in the correct way, to match the pre-prepared evidence.

Their lawyers sat beside them in the living room pouring over documentation and, earning an outrageous amount of money, making changed that would mean an innocent – of this crime – would receive the Kiss.

"Is it clear?" Atticus asked. "He blamed Fudge for his Brother's death and sought revenge. Fudge has been given the Dark Mark, and Aberforth will be striking out at Voldemort as well as getting revenge."

"Agreed." Lucius said stonily. The man, innocent of this charge, would pay for harming his Son.

_XXX_

While this was going on, Ryder was hanging off the edge of the battered roof at the Burrow, trying to see in through the tiny skylight in the ceiling. He looked down into the attic and growled as he saw Aberforth dancing around singing. He listened.

"One nasty Host has lost his Mate, and don't know where to find her. Leave her alone, but she won't come home, I'll have killed and disposed of her!" By the door, Ron and Hermione trembled as they watched the madman torture the sixteen-year-old girl, who despite her best efforts, had begun to cry again.

Ryder snarled, and apparated straight to Lestrange Manor. He had to catch Aberforth somewhere else first, and get a confession before Minister Scrimgeour would dare search the home of a staunch Light supporter like the Weasleys.

Ryder trembled as he disappeared, one of Rose's screams following him home. Aberforth would pay, dearly, with his lifeblood!

**XXX**

Ta-da. Did you like it? Two more chapters to go: they are both planned out, but not written. The next chapter (14) hasn't even got a name yet. I don't know what to call it. Based on what you THINK will happen, what would you suggest? I've named the 15th Chapter though!

Please review me? Thanks!


	15. Homeward Bound

Ok, I have finished my exams but I'm sure I'm working for the rest of the summer. (I am not sure, because I took time off to do the exams and I don't seem to have been put back on the rota. I'll be checking tomorrow, when the rota for next week goes up.) Here is the next chapter anyway, and I hope you enjoy it.

I'll start work on Muggle Inconvenience tonight; hopefully it will be up sometime tomorrow. Depending on when I get out of bed and back from shopping (I hate food shopping, but if I don't go I end up minding children.)

**Words: **4,781

**Chapter 14**

**Homeward Bound**

Ryder yawned and rolled over. He had arrived home from spying on the Weasley's only a few hours ago, and when he couldn't find his parents he had wearily fallen into his bed. He'd been tossing and turning ever since. Briefly, he wondered if he would ever fall asleep. Maybe he would, and he just wouldn't know he was asleep? He squeezed his eyes shut and rolled so his face was in the pillow.

When he opened them, he knew he was asleep. Standing in front of him was Draco Malfoy. Ryder gasped and reached a hand out to touch his mate, but his hand went straight through Draco; as if he was intruding into a pensive.

"Draco?" He asked quietly, afraid of waking himself up. "Are you real?"

"How did you get here?" Draco asked, just as quietly. He looked around and then back at Ryder. Ryder gasped again as he noticed that they were in Hogwarts. "I want to go home, Ryder. I don't like it here." Ryder reached his hand out again, and rested it inches away from the blond's cheek, as if he was about to cup it.

"I miss you. Rose was kidnapped, but when we find her, I'm coming to get you. Stay safe, my love." He leant forward and attempted to brush his lips against Draco's, but pulled back before they could touch. "I love you."

A second later, Ryder woke up, alone in his bed. He shook his head and sat up. Climbing from the bed, he ran a hand through his hair and pulled on the closest pair of trousers that lay on the floor. "They'll do," he muttered as he left his room.

He literally ran into Lucius and Atticus as they left the Vampyre Lord's study. a small circus of lawyers followed the two men. "Hello Ryder, any luck?" He asked in Romanian.

"Yes actually, Father. Rose is being kept in the attic of the Burrow. The hole the Weasley's call a home. As far as I can tell, only Ronald and Hermione know about her being there. Aberforth was," he swallowed heavily, "hurting her when I left." He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "Oh and Draco is fine. I can talk to him when I'm asleep apparently. Isn't that spiffy?"

Lucius' head snapped around so fast Ryder thought he heard the blond's neck snap. "Draco?" He asked hesitantly. Ryder nodded. "Thank Merlin." Ryder offered his soon to be father-in-law a small smile. "I take it you know where Rose is?" He received twin nods from father and son. "Mr. Clearway," he snapped over his shoulder to one of his lawyers, "you will help find Lord Lestrange's daughter and take her kidnappers to court, understood?"

"Yes, Sir," he said with a bow. He and his colleges waited until Atticus pointed back at the study, before turning and heading inside. Atticus' lawyers remained behind.

"Why are Lucius' lawyers not bringing Aberforth to court?" Ryder asked confused.

"If Lucius does it, they will think it was made up. Lucius never liked the Dumbledores and everyone knows it. Not many know how much our family despise the Dumbledore clan, though." Atticus said before turning and heading to the study. He needed to get enough proof so he could convince the Aurors to give him a warrant. He needed a lot of proof; everyone knew the Weasleys never did anything wrong. They were so nice it was disgusting. Well, except for the youngest boy!

Lucius led Atticus' lawyers to the dungeons. They stood outside of Fudge's cell and Lucius smirked as the other man trembled in fear. "How did you say Aberforth killed him, Mr. Havre?"

The head lawyer smirked, showing just a hint of teeth, but it was enough for Lucius to know that this man was also a bloodsucker. "Slowly, painfully, bloodily I do believe, Lord Malfoy." He took a quick look over his notes that he made in the study. "Ah, he was _Crucio_ed until he bled, apparently."

Lucius chuckled coldly. "Good. I've wanted to do that for years." He pointed Dumbledore's wand – which had taken him a long while to procure – and with a flash of red light, Fudge began to scream.

_XXX_

"Malfoy!" Voldemort called angrily. He'd begun to call the boys name ten minutes ago, when for no apparent reason the blond had fallen asleep on his feet. Draco didn't sway or fall to the ground. He stood stock still, with a ridiculous smile on his face, and snored lightly.

"Ryder!" He cried out as Ryder woke up in their real universe. "I can talk to Ryder when he goes to sleep. Is that a mate thing?" Draco asked, practically bouncing in place.

Voldemort sneered. "Don't make a habit of it. People will think you have narcolepsy." Draco shrugged his shoulders and began to walk away. "Now what's wrong with you?" Voldemort asked annoyed.

"Nothing!" Draco muttered and kept walking.

"Something is wrong with you. People just don't disappear for any reason, Malfoy."

Draco frowned and lifted his hands up for Voldemort to see. "I'm not disape-" The rest of the word caught in his throat and he let out a terrified whimper as he noticed his hands weren't the same colour as the skin of his arm. While his arm was its normal pale white colour, his hands were transparent. He held them against his stomach and he could see the patterns of his robe through his hands. He gave a small cry, "I'm disappearing!"

"No shit Sherlock," Voldemort muttered to himself. He just wasn't a people person. "You weren't purified; maybe this is just this worlds way of getting rid of people who aren't meant to be here."

"By wiping me out of existence?" Draco shrieked in fear.

"You'll probably go back to our world." Draco looked so hopeful that Voldemort felt badly for opening his mouth again, and he regretted it once the words were out of his mouth. "Or, you'll be wiped out of existence." Draco broke down in tears. Voldemort winced, and hoped dearly that Malfoy didn't mention this to Ryder.

_XXX_

Atticus had loaned Lucius his scrying crystals, and with them Lucius began to try and track down Aberforth Dumbledore. He tried holding the crystal over Ottery St. Catchpole, but the crystal practically jumped across the map towards London. With a frown, Lucius turned the page of the A-Z Car Map and allowed the crystal to track the Dumbledore down on its own.

The crystal fell from Lucius' hand involuntarily and landed above Number 12, Grimmauld Place. Lucius frowned, he was sure the building belonged to Ryder now, but, he remembered, no one had handed Ryder the keys nor made him the new secret keeper.

Lucius shrugged and placed the crystal inside the small ebony box Atticus had given it to him in. He left the box and the map on the table and headed back down to the dungeons. Atticus was waiting for him outside Fudge's cell. The man was barely alive, kept among the living by potions and spells. But it was necessary: Aurors had special spells to find out whether a person died where their body had been found. The case against Aberforth would stick better if Fudge died where Aberforth was found hiding.

Entering the cell, with Atticus, they each took hold of one of Fudge's bloodied hands and activated a Portkey. With a pop, Atticus had used Ryder's blood – as Heir to the Black family – to bypass the wards surrounding Grimmauld Place.

The dragged the half-dead man into one of the bedrooms and with a smirk placed him suggestively on the bed. He was practically hanging off the end, bent at the waist with his legs spread. Lucius tied his hands above his head to the end bedposts and his feet were nailed to the floor with a quick whispered spell.

"Shall we make it concrete?" Atticus asked with a smirk, waving a transfigured piece of wood as thick as a wrist. Lucius grimaced at the thought but nodded. While whistling a jaunty tune, Atticus rammed the wood up Fudge's arse, tearing the man badly. Even as injured as he was, Fudge still found the strength to scream long and hard at the intrusion. Atticus vanished the wood, and the spells on Fudge. With a wheeze, the man was finally allowed to die.

Atticus smirked. "Well, now he's a murder, a kidnapper and a rapist. The Dumbledore's were always a nice bunch." He kept whistling as he left the room, followed by Lucius, and searched for Aberforth.

They found the man hidden in the kitchen, actually having squeezed himself into Kreacher's old cupboard. Lucius wrinkled his nose in disgust. His hand shot out and dragged the man from his hiding place by his white hair.

"Tell us where my daughter is?" Atticus asked politely. Aberforth refused to answer.

Lucius kneed him in the groan and the old man let out a gasp of pain. "For my son," he hissed.

"Are you going to tell me?" Aberforth spat in his face. "CRUCIO!" He roared in anger.

"You know, we'll have to heal him." Atticus raised an eyebrow. "Not much of course, after all, Fudge was bound to have tried to fight back." Lucius and Atticus both chuckled.

_XXX_

In the alternate reality, Voldemort gave a whoop of delight, which wasn't really his fault as somehow Marvolo had taken over his body. And, like every other time Marvolo was in control, Voldemort was extremely embarrassed.

Draco was transparent everywhere but his face and neck by now, and had a blond eyebrow raised in amusement as Voldemort's body, but with forest green eyes, danced around the Headmaster's office. He began to swish his robes around his ankles, before hitching them to his waist and kicking his legs out, trying to dance the Can-Can.

Then, to Voldemort's utter horror, he began to hum 'Saturday Night' and make the hand movements, wriggling his hips and jumping to the right. With a cough, Voldemort took control of his body again, but had lost what little dignity he had with him. He refused to make eye contact with Draco. "Found the journals," he said in way of an explanation.

"Did you, now?" Draco asked. Then he pressed his lips together so he wouldn't laugh. He couldn't wait to tell Ryder.

Voldemort picked up the two journals. Kerrigor and Emmanuel's journals were tucked into his robe pocket and he smiled softly at the amused blond. "We have them."

"Too bad we can't get home." Fate is a bit of a cow really. Draco should have known that. The moment he finished the sentence, his face became transparent and he could only see Voldemort in grey scale. He tried to cry out in fear, but his voice wasn't working. With wide, terrified eyes, he faded out of Voldemort's line of sight.

"Shit," the Dark Lord cursed. He patted his robe pocket reassuringly and nodded when he felt the journals. "We got them."

"_We can end this_," Salazar growled in Voldemort's mind.

Tom gave him a mental hug and smiled. And Marvolo… "_Saturday night and the air is getting hot, I love you baby, hum hummm hum, hum, be my baby, hummm._" Voldemort shuddered and tried to block out the sound of a cat being tortured. "_Oi!_" Marvolo cried, offended.

"_Idiot!_" Tom whined.

"I couldn't agree more," Voldemort agreed with a chuckle. With a satisfied smile, Voldemort left the Office and tried to find the spot where the portal had dropped them. If Ryder reopened it, chances were it would open in the same place.

_XXX_

Lucius Malfoy smirked as he looked across the hill at the strange looking building at the other end of the field. The Burrow had more floors than it had originally been built with, much like Malfoy Manor, but unlike the Manor, the Burrow looked as if blind toddlers had pieced it together. He didn't see what Ryder found so fascinating. Maybe because it was small enough not to get lost in? After all, it took three days to find Ryder the time he and Draco got lost at Malfoy Manor. Shaking the thoughts from his mind, Lucius turned the face the five Aurors behind him.

"She's in the attic." He said emotionlessly.

One Auror, either brave or stupid, swallowed and said, "is it true? Is Harry Potter engaged to your son?" The others began to practically run down the hill.

"The attic," Lucius repeated as his hands clenched at his sides, his knuckles white. The Auror gave a squeak and ran down the hill, trying to catch up with the rest of his team. With one hand on the head of his snake-cane, Lucius tapped it against the side of his calf as he leisurely made his way to the front porch of the Burrow. "Ah, Weasley Sr." He gave the man a shark grin. "How pleasant to see you again."

Arthur tried hard to ignore the man, but he let him into the house anyway. In the back of the kitchen, Molly Weasley was screaming at the Aurors that were making their way up the stairs. "My precious, sweet Ron would never do anything like that! How dare you?"

"Actually mum," Ginny said hesitantly, "the noises from the attic have been louder than usual." She wanted to be on Mr. Malfoys good side, she supposed, since he was friendly with Harry. Maybe she could tell him really bad things about Harry and Mr. Malfoy would stop Draco from marrying him. Then Ginny could have him!

"That's just the ghoul, Ginny dear." Molly seemed to firmly believe that her son wasn't capable of such cruelty. She wiped her hands on the tea towel that hung from her belt and sighed. "Well they won't find anything, so I may as well get on with making dinner." She noticed Lucius and gaped. "Uh, Malfoy, you won't be staying will you?" She grimaced at the thought.

"No," he drawled with a sneer and a wrinkle of his pointed nose. "I wouldn't dream of it." He sent Arthur another wide grin and the redhead shuddered.

"H-How is Harry?" Arthur asked cordially. The boy may have stopped being friends with Ron, but Arthur had considered him family since before second year. To be honest, he was rather worried about everything that was happening. He wasn't sure if he was worried that Harry wasn't Harry, or because Ron and Hermione didn't seem to understand that. "Sorry, I mean, Ravyn is it?"

"Ryder." Lucius said coldly. "He is well." And that was the most Mr. Weasley could get Lucius to say: at least until the Aurors came down the stairs in a group. One of the five was carrying Rose, bridal style, and she was unconscious. The other four had split into teams of two and were frog marching Ron and Hermione to the front door of the Burrow. "Hmm, what was that Molly dear about you 'precious, sweet Ron'?" He gave them another sneer and turned on his heel, following the strange group that had gone on ahead.

_XXX_

Meanwhile, another group of Aurors had received an anonymous tip that ex-Minister Fudge had been kidnapped. The caller suggested that check on Dumbledore's crazy brother.

Atticus hung up the phone with a pleased smile. He nodded to Ryder who gave a sigh. "**Seesssha sseeeeeessss sshaheeeees shss sseeee ssssessa ssshhhkaass seseshsa saaa resssessha.**" He chanted in Parseltongue. Magic crackled around him before a bolt of lightening struck the ground at his feet. Atticus tsked and summoned a house elf to clean the scorched spot on the floor. Sufi got straight to work. Ryder watched as the magic began to change shape until a rather long snake was curling around him in midair. "**Go**." He ordered.

The snake shot through the wall, without leaving a mark, and flew through the air to Grimmauld Place, London. When the snake reached the house it circled Number 11 and Number 13 and with a crack, the snake was gone, and where the two houses had been, another appeared in between them. Number 12 was no longer under the Fidelius Charm.

That proved that Ryder did in fact own the building.

And it was just in time as well. The moment the Charm failed, a group of eight Aurors, as well as Minister Scrimgeour, arrived outside the building and blasted their way in.

The first room they stumbled into was, coincidently, the room where Fudge's corpse was tied up. Three of the Aurors had to leave the room when presented with the sight of Fudge's abused anus seconds after entering the room. Scrimgeour just started muttering about how he was going to be next, while rubbing his hands up and down his arms.

Fudge was untied, after sufficient photographs were taken for evidence, and then the room was checked. The spell proved that Fudge had died here, and been in great pain. The spell didn't specify when the pain was inflicted, just how much; the spell reckoned that Atticus shoving a stick up Fudge's unprepared arse must have hurt a lot. The Aurors winced, but thought that the spell had recognized pain for the extent of Fudge's injuries.

The three Aurors who had gotten sick were forced to wait with the body, against their wills. The other five, along with the Minister – still mumbling under his breath – carried on through the house. Seven rooms later and after having to back track twice because they got lost, the found Aberforth asleep in the kitchen, slumped over a table.

With all of their wands pointed at him, Auror Amelia Bones said, "You're under arrest for kidnapping, murder and rape. You don't have to say anything," – "please don't plan to kill me," Scrimgeour muttered. – "But anything you say can be used against you in a court of law. You will be provided with a Wizitor, if you cannot afford one."

With that the other four Aurors seized the old man, and dragged him to the nearest fireplace. They flooed to the Ministry, contacted the other three Aurors, and left Aberforth in a holding cell chained to the floor in case he tried to escape, while they contacted the lawyers of the kidnapped Rose Hammond's father.

_XXX_

It was almost a week later when Rose was finally allowed out of bed. It was about the same time that Draco began to exist again. As far as the blond could remember he had been wandering around Malfoy Manor like a ghost before floating to Lestrange Manor and finally heading to Hogwarts. It was a long journey for a ghost from Wiltshire to Scotland; a week later, he arrived.

He wandered the corridors like a ghost until he found the identical hall to the one he had landed in, in the other world. He smiled, and then beamed as his hand turned milky white again. It took about an hour for him to look like his old self again. He knew he hadn't been dead, just gone for a while. But he was back now.

He made his way outside, smiling to himself as he felt the sun on his skin. A week was a long time after all. He held his wand hand out and jumped back when a large purple bus sped towards him.

"Welcome to the Knight Bus, where to please?" It wasn't the same boy who had picked Harry up before third year. Draco didn't remember his name.

"Lestrange Manor, Wiltshire," he paused before saying, "I don't have any money on me. My Father will pay you on arrival." He didn't wait for an answer. He walked passed the conductor and sat down on a bed.

The bus drove on.

Rose frowned. She stood from the bed and slowly made her way to the door. Her mother and father had come up to the room, along with Lucius, Viktor Krum and Ryder, but a knock at the front door had two of them running down the corridor.

A Malfoy, running! It was unbelievable. She turned towards the window, her father helping her, and smiled. She completely forgave her brother for abandoning her on her recovery bed. Draco Malfoy stood in the driveway, being crushed by Lucius and Ryder both.

Lucius handed money over to the conductor of the Knight Bus, and then proceeded to ignore him in favour of hugging his son. "I thought, oh Merlin, I feared- I was so scared!" Draco smiled sadly.

"Me too!" The younger blond whispered. Ryder stayed quiet, but held tightly to Draco's hand, almost afraid to let go.

When they got back to Rose's room, they found her cross-legged on the floor with a small fire going inside of the trunk that used to contain the diaries. The journals lay in a pile on the floor, and one by one, Rose lifted them and dropped them into the trunk. Then she watched them burn with a smile.

"Shall we try the ritual again?" She asked quietly.

Ryder nodded. He and Rose both headed towards the bathroom. They had to purify themselves again. When the bath was done, they gathered in Rose's room this time and handed the journal with the instructions in it to Atticus. Ryder put the 'skin' on again, in case he was seen, it would be easier to pretend to be a student than it would be to think of a reason for visiting a castle he has no ties to.

"What's that?" Rose asked as she saw the vial in her father's hand.

"Oh this?" He smiled unpleasantly. "I stopped by to visit our dear friend Abby. He was most thrilled to help us out. He even donated this." He wiggled the vial between his fingers and everyone in the room recognized the sight of congealed blood.

He opened the vial and poured it out on his hand, smothering his fingers in the red liquid, before he opened the book.

This time, it was Atticus who was carrying the journal with him. He began to take the people in the room by the elbow and pull them into position, much like Aberforth had done. Rose was stood at the centre of the room again. To the North of her stood no one. Voldemort's placed remained empty. Ryder stood to the South once more, with Lucius behind him. At the East, Atticus lit a black candle, its flame blazed white. To the West, a white candle with a black flame was lit. Atticus stood behind the white candle. Draco was behind where Voldemort should have stood, as Ryder's lover.

"Let's begin." Ryder smirked. "Second time is the charm, and all that."

Rose took up a dagger and cut the palms of both her hands. She held them out to the side, as if crucified, and watched silently as blood dripped slowly down to pool on the floor, forming a circle around her feet by magic.

"Most Ancient, I bid thee, open thy jaws and swallow us whole. Purge this world. Bring forth the other." Atticus chanted. It sounded less ominous coming from his mouth than it did when Aberforth spoke the same words.

The blood that had made a circle around Rose's feet began to rise, until a ring the width of two men encircled her chest. Blood kept falling from her hands to the floor, and rising up until it was at her waist. Another ring formed around her knees. These began to stretch, as if attracted to each other on a molecular level, creating a wall separating Rose from the others in the room. She screamed as the blood began to boil and evaporate until there was no more red liquid there. Instead, a large white portal had appeared.

Somehow, Rose decided, it hurt a lot more the second time.

With a roll of his eyes Ryder stepped through the portal. He turned back twice as he walked, checking to make sure it remained open.

He knew he was in Hogwarts the moment he left the portal on the other side. He took a look around and smiled softly. He was on the fifth floor in one of the corridor's that led to the Charms rooms. He whistled as he made his way out of that corridor and down another one that would lead him to Dumbledore's Office. Hopefully Voldemort would be there.

Except he found someone else first. The woman in front of him was beautiful no doubt. Her long flame red hair flared around his shoulders as she frowned at him, her gem green eyes were filled with anger that made them shine brightly. Her hands on her hips as she tapped the floor with one foot made him nervous.

"Harry James Potter, where have you been?" Lily Potter scolded her 'son'. "You know your father was coming to visit! How dare you waste his time? You know he is very busy!" She sighed and scoffed. "You don't care do you? Of course you don't. You're so ungrateful." She sighed and ran a hand wearily over her face. "Oh Harry, why are you so difficult!"

Ryder frowned, he contemplated telling his… mother that he wasn't who she thought he was, but he decided that conversation would be just too confusing, and he was on a deadline anyway.

Lily carried on, "it's not your father's or my fault that Cedric died, Harry! I know you loved him, and he was a lovely boy and he will be missed, but it was no one's fault but his own. He was warned not to bad mouth the Dark Wizard Hunters, but he wouldn't listen. What were we supposed to do, Harry? Hide him in the basement when Dumbledore came calling? Risk our lives? We were trying to protect you, that's our job. Cedric had his own parents. It wasn't James' nor my fault that Cedric's parents were the ones who killed him on Dumbledore's orders."

Lily started crying. "Why can't you forgive us? We were trying to save you! You are our son, we had to put you before Cedric!"

A drawling voice called out from behind Ryder. Obviously the boy hadn't seen Ryder's face. "Really mother, pouring your life story onto some poor chap. What, did father finally get tired of your 'poor me' speech?" Ryder turned and gaped in shock at the site of Harry Potter.

"You're me!" They said simultaneously. Lily Potter, Charms Professor, fainted.

"Don't mind her," Harry said, "she does that sometimes. She's damaged or something!"

Ryder scowled. He didn't know the woman, but he wouldn't dream of speaking about his mother the way Harry spoke about his. "She isn't damaged!" He argued.

Harry looked over the unconscious form of his mother and shrugged his shoulders. "So she's beyond repair, what of it?" Ryder scowled. "What, are we twins or something? I'm betting they gave you away to focus on me. The one who will bring down the mad man, Dumbledore. I bet they're kicking themselves, they gave away the 'nice' twin."

Ryder backed up, "uh yeah, twins." He swallowed. "Got to fly." He walked – very quickly – down the corridor, away from both Potters.

It was only when he turned the corner of that hallway, did he realize that Harry had been in a Slytherin uniform. He snorted: James Potter probably shit himself when Harry told him. Ryder chuckled and kept looking for Voldemort. He wondered if Draco had run into Harry, and that was why the boy was upset in that dream they shared a week ago?

Never mind, he thought. He sighed a ran a hand over his face as Draco Malfoy in HUFFLEPUFF robes squeaked and tried to run the other way. "I'm his twin, that he never knew about." Ryder sighed. Draco looked over curiously. "Our parents wanted to focus on the one who would defeat the Dark Wizard Hunters."

"Oh, my father was arrested by them. I live with some people, who aren't very nice." Draco admitted quietly.

"How old are you?"

"Seventeen," Draco said. Ryder frowned. This world was a whole year ahead of their own.

"Emancipate yourself. Live wherever you want. All emancipated orphans," he ignored the 'my father isn't dead' line, "or wards of the state are entitled to a settlement fee from the Ministry, with which to start a new life. Plus, get yourself a good Wizitor with the fee, and claim your Malfoy inheritance back." Draco smiled. Not wanting to piss off this nice 'Harry', he just nodded quietly and ran away anyway. Ryder rolled his eyes.

He wondered what Draco would think about… Draco. Confusing thought.

**XXX**

That Parseltongue thing being in Parseltongue was because I was too lazy to think of a good chant lol.

A **Wizitor** is a Wizard Solicitor :) Clever no?

**Dark Wizard Hunters**: if anyone is interested…?

As there were no hosts, Tom Riddle wasn't driven insane by the thought of not having a mate. As he didn't spend forever talking to himself/Salazar, he was actually adopted from the orphanage by a couple. When he went to Hogwarts, he had a relatively pleasant childhood, so he didn't become a Dark Lord. He became Minister for Magic, but since he didn't understand the prejudices of Muggles to Magical children, he sent orphans to live with Muggles/Squibs (like Draco). He meant well.

Dumbledore, on the other hand, went even more insane. He didn't have to worry about the Hosts so he married and had kids. But Grindelward murdered them. He hates Dark Wizards now, and set up the Dark Wizard Hunters to catch them. They're a bit like Death Eaters (only Dumbledore thinks they're working for the light side, the public knows better). Most of the Death Eaters, we know, are in Azkaban for 'murder'. (Lucius was framed, like the others. Dumbledore didn't trust Narcissa so he killed her and blamed Lucius).

Cedric had to die; the story isn't tragic enough other wise. Harry doesn't actually love Blaise. He loved Cedric, but Dumbledore heard the prophecy (you know there has to be one) about how Harry would defeat him and make the world a wonderful place. So he went after Harry. Cedric was defending Harry, and said some things about the DWH and Dumbledore went after him while he was with the Potters. Lily and James stood aside and let the DWH kill him for 'treason'. Harry never forgave them.

Cedric's parents were DWH: Dumbledore had so many people afraid of Dark Wizards that they happily killed anyone he said was Dark. The Diggorys were afraid Cedric was going Dark, so they killed him to save him from himself, or that's how Dumbledore phrased it to them. Parents were made to kill any Dark children they had to show Dumbledore loyalty. (A bit like the Hitler Youth reporting on anti-Nazi parents).

The only reason he didn't want to marry Draco was because his parents would have approved, and that this Draco is gutless and wouldn't piss his parents off enough for Harry's tastes.

Wow I have 166 pages on this fic so far! WOW! And 294 reviews at FFnet! Wicked!


	16. Rest In Peace

Don't forget that my 350th reviewer gets to email me a plot and I'll write them a one-shot Certain conditions apply. There will be an EPILOGUE! But the 350 reviews have to come for the 15 original chapters, ok?

Thanks for reading/reviewing.

**Words: **6,825

**Chapter 15**

**Rest In Piece**

Shrugging off the thoughts of there being two completely different Draco Malfoy's in the world, Ryder ran a hand through his hair as he walked. The sooner he found Voldemort, the better as far as he was concerned. He really had no wish to confront Albus Dumbledore again. After all, this was a new world without a Dark Lord, so there could have been no plot to kill Dumbledore. But, the old man wouldn't have stayed too far from his precious family heirlooms; his journals. So Dumbledore, by Ryder's guess, would be around somewhere, probably monitoring everything that went on through the loyal portraits. If that was true, by now the evil conniving son of a— Dumbledore would know there were two Harry Potters, and there had been two Draco Malfoys, and that the Minister for Magic was snooping around in the Headmasters Office.

With a sigh, Ryder decided he should probably run. Honestly, you couldn't count on Dumbledore to do the sensible thing anyway. And the sensible thing to do when you find the Minister in the Headmasters Office was to start a conversation; polite but tense would be expected. But what Dumbledore would probably do, would be to arrest the Minister for 'Dark' or 'illegal' doings. Or at least that was the impression Ryder got of this Dumbledore. The man was unreasonable, insane, and a complete weirdo!

And more than likely, this Dumbledore was also Headmaster. What better position to influence the children from? Who better to take charge of the youth and the impressionable? To mould them into future Dark Wizard Hunters? Ryder snorted, and broke into a run, heading towards the Headmasters Office.

If Voldemort wasn't there, Ryder rather hoped he ran into Dumbledore, so at least he'd have someone to take his frustration out on.

_XXX_

In the direction that Ryder was running towards, Voldemort smirked at the gargoyle guarding the Headmasters Office as the stone statue twisted back around to block the entrance. It was a bit late, Voldemort supposed, to start guarding the Office now. The journals were already tucked away, safe and sound, in Voldemort's robe pocket.

Voldemort shoved his hand into the pocket and wriggled it around until he felt the two books, and sighed.

Yes, the journals were safely within his grasp, and all he needed now was Potter so he could get out of here. To tell the truth, this other world was rather disturbing. Imagine, him as the Minister of Magic? Ridiculous as far as he was concerned. He would have been a horrible Minister if he had run for office, he was sure. He was a Dark Lord after all, and they certainly didn't ever get voted into power.

Except— he froze. He wasn't a Dark Lord in this world; he was the Minister. So maybe he hadn't been raised at that orphanage? Wasn't that place the reason he had always hated Muggles? If he had been adopted, if Dumbledore had listened and let him stay in Hogwarts over the summer, maybe he wouldn't have turned out the way he was? Maybe his Mate would have loved him sooner?

No! He didn't have a Mate, not here, not in this world. Maybe that was why things were different? He had spent an awful lot of time talking to Salazar in Parseltongue when he was a child. And every time a couple considered adopting him, they were always warned of his tendency to hiss at himself. Maybe, without Salazar and without a Mate he would have had a normal life? But, Voldemort considered, would living be worth it if he wasn't living for his Mate?

The idea, the very thought, of his Mate had kept him hanging on for all those long, dreadful years as a spirit. Would he give up that same Mate, the same hope that kept him living, for the change to be 'normal'? What was it someone had once told him? Normal is nothing to be proud of— no, that wasn't it.

Well, it wasn't something about not aspiring to be normal, Voldemort remembered, because normal was another way of saying boring, or something like that. He actually couldn't remember who had told him either. But never mind.

His Mate had been worth every horrid second he spent in that orphanage; every nasty memory was made better because he had a Mate to share them with now. If it hadn't been for Dumbledore, he would have had his Mate years ago. But that didn't matter either, because he won. He still had a Mate, and Dumbledore was dead.

He looked up as he heard footsteps coming towards him. It sounded as if whoever it was, was running. He frowned and held his hands out to stop Ryder from running him over. "Where's the fire?" Voldemort smirked slightly.

"Come on, we have to get back to the portal before it closes," Ryder gasped out, trying to catch his breath. Voldemort sighed; he'd almost forgotten they had a time limit.

"Did Malfoy get back ok?" He asked, actually worried about the boy's fate.

"Yeah," Ryder said, taking Voldemort by the elbow and dragging him towards the fifth floor corridor, by the Charms room. "He's safely at the Manor. It took a week, but he came back." Ryder looked around furtively.

"What are you doing?" Voldemort asked after Ryder peeked around the edge of the third corridor they passed.

Ryder tugged on Voldemort's elbow, "checking to make sure I don't see myself," he shuddered, "or my mother! She's scary, here."

"Oh?" He said. He was going to say something about Lily Potter being scary in their real world, but decided it would be prudent to keep his thoughts to himself.

"Yeah, but Slytherin-Harry and her don't get on, because she let Slytherin-Harry's boyfriend be killed by the Dark Wizard Hunters, or something. Doesn't matter," he said, mostly to himself because Voldemort was completely lost. "We're here!" Ryder grinned as he spotted the corridor, "come on." They moved faster, almost jogging down the corridor. When they were right in front of the white, glowing portal something fell out, from the other side, and landed right on top of Lord Voldemort. Who fell to the floor with an 'oomph' and a scowl.

_XXX_

Albus Dumbledore was some times considered insane, but mostly he thought he was doing what those too weak to do, needed to do, but they were too weak to do it, so Albus Dumbledore had to do it… you get the point. The thing that most people considered Dumbledore insane for was the fact that, no matter who they were, anyone who wasn't on Dumbledore's side was a Dark Wizard.

Even Cedric Diggory.

Now, the Harry Potter of that world was prophesised to make Dumbledore great on the one hand, but anything could tip the scales of Fate. Any little nudge in the wrong direction and Harry Potter would bring about Dumbledore's end, on the other hand. Now, it was obvious which one Dumbledore would prefer and which one he wouldn't. So he did everything he could to ensure that Harry remained firmly on the Light Side, even if he had to kill to do it. It was also another reason why he encouraged that Malfoy brat's obsession – or love, if you will – with Potter. Squibs raised Malfoy, and they were as close to Muggles as you could get, without being one yourself. He could make Potter a little more humble; unlike that spoilt Zabini with his Pureblooded prejudices!

That was also the reason he had just taken a meeting with Malfoy in an abandoned classroom: to discuss Harry.

"But there were two of them, Sir, I swear! The second one said they were separated at birth! And, I want to be emancipated!" Draco Malfoy had demanded in his annoying high-pitched voice. Dumbledore shuddered, remembering.

Malfoy had also said he'd banged his head because of Potter and seen another of himself! Two Malfoys! Merlin forbid!

Malfoy had led him to the corridor where he had seen the other Malfoy, and then Dumbledore had Obliviated him and sent him on his way. And that brings us to where we are now.

Dumbledore sighed and lent forward, trying to get a closer look at the glowing-white portal, without getting too close. Maybe it was an alternate world, he considered, but what would the differences be? As Voldemort was checking the situation out, Voldemort was making his way along with Ryder to the portal as well. Dumbledore shrugged. Life was for living after all, and what was living without adventure?

He walked forward, slowly, and stepped into the portal.

"MALFOY!" He cried as he came out the other side, to be met by a frazzled looking Draco Malfoy. Lucius moved up behind him, placing his hand on his son's shoulder and pulling him away from Dumbledore. "And you! How did you get out of Azkaban?" Lucius frowned and turned to face Atticus.

"And you are dead." Severus, who had been stood at the back of the room unnoticed, spoke for the first time that day. He walked forward with his wand out.

Draco swallowed. He was suddenly struck by déjà vu. It was almost like in the tower back at Hogwarts, when Severus had charged in to rescue him from Dumbledore but Ryder had killed the old man before Severus could. It seemed Severus was finally getting his chance to complete the Unbreakable Vow.

"Avada Kedavra!" He cried before Dumbledore could react. The man was blasted backwards, through the portal, and onto Lord Voldemort.

"This isn't funny, boy!" A voice cried, and they could hear it in the room even though it had been spoken in the other world. A laugh followed before Ryder stepped through the white light and into Draco's arms. Voldemort followed, a scowl fixed firmly on his face as he muttered under his breath about doddery old men.

"I believe we should, uh, wake Rose up now, before any more curious souls wander into our world." Atticus smiled over at his son, who nodded.

Ryder moved towards Rose slowly, a knife in hand. She was still hidden behind the portal, trapped in the white light, but he cut both of his hands, and held them out in front of him allowing the portal to – drink – his blood and match it to that of Rose's. While the portal stayed open, it shrunk in size so he was able to see his sister's head and feet. Her throat came into view, and then her chest. He plunged the knife into her heart and her eyes snapped open. The light faded, and the blood stopped flowing from her palms, and his both. Lucius was forced to hold Voldemort back as Rose crumpled to the ground.

Severus offered them a few vials of Blood Replenishing potion, which Ryder worked down Rose's throat. They waited for about ten minutes, and she smiled warmly at her brother, and sat up. She looked at Voldemort and smiled, "you're back."

"Safe and sound." He went to her and picked her up bridal style. Without a backward glance, he carried her from the attic room, to her own bedroom. Ryder smiled after them.

He turned to his own fiancé and grinned. "Dray," he said, a large smirk spreading over his face.

"Yes?"

"Loved you in Hufflepuff colours, really. Black and yellow really suit you!" He laughed and Draco leaned over to swat him on the head.

"Shut." He snarled. "Up." Then he folded his arms across his chest and sulked.

_XXX_

Two days later, Atticus, Violet, Rose and Ryder booked an appointment with the Aurors guarding Azkaban to visit a few prisoners. While those awaiting trial were not convicted, the Ministry felt it was safer to hold them in Azkaban rather than at the Ministry of Magic. So, the group of four met two Aurors at the Ministry and then Portkeyed to the town closest to Azkaban. They walked to the shores edge, and took a boat across the lake to Azkaban Island.

While in the boat, one of the Aurors sighed and turned towards the Prison. "A shame, ain't it, misses?" He said looking at Violet, who until then had been sitting quietly looking at the water. Ryder and Atticus were talking quietly to each other, while Rose scanned through one of the two original journals. Neither of the Aurors dared interrupt them.

"What is a shame?" The woman asked quietly, flicking her long hair back.

He snorted, "those two kids. Terrible to have them sent to Azkaban, ain't it misses? Poor kids, probably falsely accused of being Death Eaters," he snorted. He was obviously making a jibe at Cornelius Fudge, but Violet didn't smile like the second Auror did.

"I'll have you know," she hissed, her eyes narrowed, "that they were not falsely accused! They did infact kidnap, and torture, my daughter." Her eyes flickered to Rose, who looked up and smiled softly, her green eyes shining with tears as she read the diaries.

"Oh," the Aurors said simultaneously. The one who had spoken turned an unattractive shade of puce and looked away. His eyes darted around nervously, and he didn't try to speak with anyone again after that.

"Talk about 'open mouth, insert foot'," Ryder whispered to his father. Atticus merely smiled and carried on with their previous conversation.

"Are you sure this is wise?" He asked, for the fifth time that journey.

"Yes," Ryder answered again. "They were my friends once. And while I was never as fond of them as I was of Draco, they did, kind of, grow on me. Not that I would want to continue to be friends with a Mudblood and a blood traitor, but I wouldn't want them here either. Merlin, the thought of Sirius in this place!" He shuddered, rubbing his hands up and down his arms he looked at the looming outline of the Prison.

"Almost there now," Atticus said quietly. "Are you sure?"

"I trusted them once. They aren't stupid, just naive and they meant well, I suppose. I won't forgive them for what they did, but they don't deserve this. No one does."

"Ever Dumbledore?" Ryder raised an eyebrow. "Aberforth I mean."

"He won't be going to Azkaban though, will he?" Ryder and Atticus smirked at each other, fangs lengthening at the thought of revenge and death.

"Here we are," the second Aurors said as the boat docked.

The quartet stood up as one, and swiftly moved passed the Auror escorts. The first Auror refused to meet their eyes, but the second smiled and waved. "We'll wait here," he said, "there should be two more Aurors inside. They'll show you the prisoners."

Violet snorted. Atticus grinned, "They just don't want to risk your wrath, dearest." She glared at him, faking anger. The Twins rolled their eyes' at their parents' antics.

"Come on, mother," Rose called impatiently as she walked ahead. She hardly noticed the Dementors that flocked closer to the group. Ryder however, shuddered and tried to back away. Atticus wrapped an arm around his son's shoulder and led him passed the Dementors with a growl.

"That's right," he crowed, as the Dementors backed away. "Fear the mighty Vampyre Lord!" Ryder's lips twitched into a smile. Ahead of them, they heard Rose laugh.

"You know, father, you're only here for comic relief."

"It's what I do best, son."

"I'm so proud to call you 'dad'," he bantered back with a grin as they entered Azkaban Prison. On the wall, there was a sign which, morbidly, read, 'Damned Are Ye Whom Enter Here. Turn Back, Turn Back, Run In Fear'. "Pleasant place." Ryder shuddered again.

"Perfect holiday spot, don't you think? Maybe I should see how much the rent is per cell." Atticus smirked at the shocked look the Auror, who met them at the door, sent his way. "We're here to see Weasley and Granger."

"Name?" The Auror asked as her partner walked over as well.

He smirked, "see no evil."

She looked scandalized, "What?"

"V," he coughed, "for Vendetta!" Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open. "I meant 'revenge'!"

"You can't come in here and kill the prisoners before their trial, I'm sorry, but rules are rules." She shouted, waving her wand to emphasise her words.

"Lestrange, Atticus. And family," he rolled his eyes and sighed. "No sense of humour, these young ones." Ryder smirked as well.

The group followed quietly through the corridors of the desolate building, ducking down to avoid spider webs and cringing away from the rats that scurried in the other direction. Rose didn't even seem to notice the screaming of the prisoners, as they crawled towards the front of their cells and begged for death through the bars. Ryder shot them pitying glances, and thanked the Fates that Sirius was free from there, and Lucius had escaped altogether.

"Here we are," the female Auror said, as the male unlocked the cell. "I'm afraid you'll have to go inside. Two at a time."

"Why two?" Violet asked, not particularly bothered. It wasn't like she wanted to sit in a filthy, dank cell, anyway.

"Because there are two prisoners. You'll be evenly matched." Rose and Ryder entered the cell, and the Auror locked the door behind them. "Call us when you're ready to come out."

"Evenly matched?" Ryder snorted, and waved his wand. Neither Weasley nor Granger had one.

"Hello again," Rose smiled, her eyes turning blue. Rowena held out the journals. Neither moved to take them.

"You know," Ryder hissed, "you caused me a lot of bother. Now everyone knows I used to be Harry Potter. I was rather hoping he might die in a Death Eater attack."

"One of their last!" Rowena looked at her Host's brother and winked.

"Got him wrapped around your little finger then?" He jibed.

She smiled warmly, "I love him."

"I know." Ryder said softly, knowing she was talking about Salazar. But he also knew that, even though she hadn't said it to him, he knew Rose loved Voldemort as well. "Now, you two." He smiled at the two dirty, tired looking prisoners. "How you enjoying your stay?"

They flinched.

"You realize you'll be here for life when the Wizengamot convicts you?" Rowena said coldly, not as willing to forgive as Rose was.

"You don't have to be convicted though." The two teenage prisoners turned to stare at Ryder, their mouths dropping open simultaneously. Ron still looked suspicious, of course, but his eyes sparkled with a faint hope for freedom. "Here," he waved at Rowena who handed the journals forward a second time. This time, Hermione reached out for one. Following her lead, Ron took the other. "Open them. Hermione's one first, and read the front entry."

_The year of our Lord, 947,_

_He is insane. My son is insane and there is nothing I can do about it. Merlin forgive him, and me. Please, please, do not let him do something rash. _

_Hopefully, _

_Kerrigor Dumbledore: father of Emmanuel._

"Now, read the next page," Ryder ordered and Hermione dutifully turned the page and began to read out loud.

_The year of our Lord, 988, _

_That foolish, spiteful boy! He has done the unforgivable!_

_Perhaps I should start from the beginning? In the year of our Lord, 934, four people built a school and began to teach our young there. One of these was a man named Slytherin. Another was a woman named Ravenclaw. My son felt himself in love with Ravenclaw. I know he once forced himself on her, but was stopped by Slytherin – who was her lover. I was forced to beget myself another Heir, since Emmanuel is no longer able to reproduce. _

_The two left Hogwarts together. Emmanuel followed, hell bent on revenge; revenge for what I do not know… for being dismissed? Embarrassed? Rejected, maybe? _

_He has murdered Slytherin and his young son. The whereabouts of Ravenclaw and their daughter is not yet known. My foolish, spiteful boy!_

_Kerrigor Dumbledore._

"Is it tru-" Hermione started to ask, looking scandalized.

Ron, who exclaimed, "bloody hell", at the top of his voice, interrupted her. He opened the journal in his hands, choosing a page closer to the middle of the thin book. "He tricked us!" The redhead muttered as he began to read.

_The year of our Lord, 945,_

_That— that little bitch! She betrayed me! She knew how I felt for her, and yet she has been – cavorting – with that Slimy, Snake Slytherin! That dirty, rotten DARK WIZARD! Well, damn her then, the little lying Pandora! That little demon, may she rot in Hell! The little viper… has run away with her snake Lord. _

_Good riddance! Next time we meet, it will be war on them both! I anticipate the moment I wrap my hands around her throat and choke the last pitiful breath from between her poisonous lips. _

_Emmanuel Dumbledore: Leader of the Council of Elders. _

Hermione was sobbing quietly, whispering how sorry she was under her breath, her eyes fixed on Rose's body.

"You are forgiven, I suppose." Rowena muttered back, refusing to look at the girl. "I hate that man. I can still feel him, pressing me against a wall, trying to kiss me. Disgusting!" She shuddered.

Hermione sniffed again. "I really am so sorry. Albus Dumbledore left us those journals, and we just wanted to help. They had such horrible things written in them. I was so sure… we only wanted to help Harry, I swear!"

"My name is Ryder," he said tightly, looking at the girl's tear stained face.

"Ryder, then, sorry. We just wanted to help. Aberforth told us, Albus told us, those journals told us the same thing. When the Hosts have intercourse, Slytherin and Ravenclaw would take control of the Host bodies, killing the Hosts. They all said that to keep the Host bodies alive – because without the original soul, the body would begin to decompose – they'd need to sacrifice a very powerful Wizard. Albus and Aberforth said they were trying to kill you." Hermione sniffed.

"Shit, Mione," Ron muttered. "He tricked us. They all tricked us! Were those journals even real?" He shouted angrily.

Rose nodded, her eyes green again. "They were real, but Emmanuel brainwashed his brother and nephew, and had far too much control over the Wizarding World for his father to stand out against him."

"Couldn't you have told Albus? Or Aberforth?" Hermione asked quietly. She didn't want anyone to get hurt, but she knew they'd probably send Aberforth to Azkaban if he weren't Kissed instead.

"They have raised to believe that the Hosts are evil since they were old enough to understand." Ryder said, eyes narrowed. "Impressions received in childhood cannot be erased from the soul. Their opinions would stay the same, even after they learnt the truth. It had been what they believed in for far too long to change it so late in life."

"It was just a suggestion," she muttered quietly, eyes downcast.

"We are here not for your helpful suggestions, Granger. We are here, because foolish naïve children don't deserve Azkaban. Agree to our terms, and you're free." Rose snarled a deep frown set on her face.

"Do you still think the Hosts are evil, and that I need to be protected from them?"

"Well, no, but-" She started, but Ron once again interrupted her.

"You aren't Harry, mate." Ron said. "They've obviously done something to you."

"I was never Harry Potter. It was a game to me, to pretend to be who you all wanted me to be. I have always been as you see me now." He said, matter of factly.

"But!" Ron started then paused. "The Harry we know would never go near Ferret Face!" Ryder started growling, angry at the insult to his mate.

"He isn't the Harry we know, Ronald. He isn't Harry at all."

"Glad to see you copped on, Mudblood." He snarled, "and if you dare insult my mate again, I will kill you myself. Understood?" He had Ron by the collar of his robes, pulling him up off the floor. The ginger boy nodded quickly, desperate to be let go. Ryder dropped him. "I'm glad you agree."

"You'll be acquitted. But until the trial you'll have to stay here. Oh," Rose smirked, "one more thing. No matter what they say to you about Albus Dumbledore, just agree." As one, the Twins turned and walked through the bars of the cell. Standing with their parents, they two nodded once to Granger and Weasley who stared opened mouthed as the quartet walked away.

_XXX_

"Aberforth Dumbledore, you have been charged with kidnapping and torturing Rose Hammond, and the murder of ex-Minister Cornelius Fudge. How do you plead?" Amelia Bones glared at the man as he ran a hand over his long white beard and tried to smile kindly.

"Not guilty." Every one gasped in anger.

"Very well," Bones said again, with a quick look at the trembling Rufus Scrimgeour – who still thought someone was out to get him – and then a nod in the defendant's direction. "Prosecution will begin." Atticus' head Wizitor stood and silently moved to the front of the courtroom.

The trial went on for hours; when both defence and prosecution had rested for the final time, the Wizengamot members adjured to come to a final decision. Rose's hand snuck out to grab onto Ryder's and squeezed. Ryder's other hand was being firmly crushed by Draco's, who was trembling.

The members filed back into the room and took their seats. Amelia Bones stood and coughed to catch everyone's attention. "We have reached a final verdict. Based on the nature of the prosecution, the punishment shall rest in their hands. Wizengamot rise, and state your verdict."

An old, grey haired man stood up and looked up and down the row of his compatriots before opening his mouth. "We find the defendant guilty as charged."

Bones smirked viciously. "You are sentenced to death, how ever the Vampyre Lord sees fit." She sat down and crossed her hand in her lap, looking very pleased.

Ryder smirked and leant over to whisper to his father, "sounds like a party. You think we should invite Tom?"

"He has as much right to revenge as I do," Rose pointed out. Ryder pouted.

They were about to stand and leave, when Bones coughed and stood up again. "On to the next matter of business today." She picked up a sheet of parchment and unrolled it. "Albus Dumbledore is charge with the murder of Hammond, first name unknown, original Mate of Slytherin's Host. He is also charged with sever neglect on the part of both Tom Riddle and Harry Potter. He has been charged with embezzling the Potter fortune during Harry Potter's childhood in order to fund his Host hunting habits." She paused as Aberforth was dragged from the courtroom. "How do you find the deceased?"

The same man who had given Aberforth's verdict, stood up. "Guilty as sin. We, the Wizengamot, propose he should be stripped of his Order of Merlin, First Class, and all his other titles. His portrait should be removed from the Headmaster's Office at Hogwarts, as well."

As they were leaving, Ryder nudged Atticus and pointed at where Scrimgeour was being ganged up on by three old ladies. "How dare you, young man! You should be ashamed!"

"Letting someone like Dumbledore have so much control over people!"

"You should have known better!" The last hissed while hitting the Minister with an umbrella. Soon, more and more people were joining in. As per usual, they were finding some one convenient to blame for all their troubles and faults.

"I think we might be in need of a new Minister," Ryder laughed. Rose raised an eyebrow and Draco seemed to be the only other one to catch on to what they were implying.

He snorted, "as long as I don't have to live with Squibs."

They brought Aberforth back with them to Riddle Manor, where most of the Death Eaters were waiting with Voldemort for the verdict. "Guilty," Rose piped up as she jumped into the arms of her Mate. "Isn't it great?"

"Why is he here?"

"We get to kill him however we like." A few Death Eaters raised their eyebrows behind their masks. She noticed their curiosity anyway, "Vampyre thing."

Ryder smirked slightly and nodded at Voldemort. "So, everyone knows I'm Harry Potter."

"And I bet everyone knows I'm a Host."

"I think we should go out in a blaze of glory. The last Death Eater attack, where only the two of us die. I can call myself Redyr and say Ryder was my evil twin who escaped from the attic where we locked him up… and you can be, well, Tom."

Voldemort snorted, "I still want to change the world." Rose wrapped an arm loosely around his waist.

Atticus, Violet, Rose and Ryder had walked in together, dragging the struggling Aberforth. Lucius, Narcissa and Draco followed soon after. Severus came minutes after them, along with Remus and Sirius, who needed Severus to get through the wards.

"So do I," his Mate agreed, "it really depends on how you plan to change things."

Lord Voldemort pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes. His gaze travelled from his Death Eaters to the odd group that was stood next to the door. He nodded at Lucius, who was still his right hand man despite the fact that his son was not a Death Eater. "I suppose I can change the world your way." He smiled at the squeal his Mate let out as she hugged him.

He looked at the Death Eaters who bowed as one, obviously relieved that their Lord has regained his sanity at long last. No one had forgotten how he used to be, long, long before he heard about the Prophecy. Lucius Malfoy even bowed. Voldemort raised an eyebrow when Ryder and Draco bowed as well. "What?" The young Vampyre snorted. "You're family now."

Voldemort turned to face Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. Never a truer supporter of the Light had existed, until it came to Black, the antithesis of his family. He shrugged, and bowed, very slightly. "If you can't beat them, join them, my Lord."

"Don't," he said quickly, "call me that."

"What shall we call you then," Remus said curiously.

"My name is Tom. It has been such a long time since anyone has used it." Rose grinned up at him and hugged him tightly. Her cheek pressed against his neck.

"Tom," he hummed at her, "I love you." His eyes flashed bright green for a moment, before staying that colour. While he and Salazar were still separate entities, Marvolo and Tom had once again merged with his own soul, making his almost whole once again.

Ryder laughed, loudly, just as Voldemort was about to kiss Rose. They turned to face him, a scowl on Voldemort's lips. "Now that you're not a Dark Lord anymore, what will you do first?"

"Run for Minister, Mr. Hammond. And yourself?" He licked his lips and smirked.

"Go back to school," he said with an exaggerated sigh. "And then I had rather hoped Draco would marry me?" the blond boy blushed and nodded shyly. Ryder beamed back at his mate. "Result!" He joked with a light smile.

Later that night, when they had gone back to their own homes, Ryder was up and about, pacing in front of his fireplace nervously. He took a deep breath and stepped into the fireplace, throwing a handful of Floo powder to the floor and called, "Malfoy Manor, Draco's bedroom." He was rather pleased his boyfriend had a room with it's own fireplace. It meant he could come and go with no one the wiser, but Draco. Tonight though, he wanted to surprise even his mate.

He undressed as soon as he stepped out of Draco's fireplace. The blond was sound asleep in his bed, snoring very softly, only his blond head visible above the bed covers. Ryder stood at the bottom of the bed and grabbed hold of the blanket in each hand, pulling it down off of his fiancé and onto the floor. Draco was dressed in a pair of pyjama trousers only, and with a wave of his hand, Ryder had his boyfriend naked.

With a soft smile, Ryder ran his hand slowly down Draco's left thigh, before he lent forward and kissed the blond's hip lightly. The boy gave a soft moan but didn't wake up. Ryder rolled Draco so he was lying on his back. Draco's legs fell open automatically, silently offering himself to the Vampyre. Even asleep Draco still managed to tease him Ryder noticed.

He moved to lie over the blond, his mouth hovering over the half-hard penis surrounded by golden curls. Smirking, Ryder opened his mouth wide and began to swallow the flesh, causing Draco to give a small whine. Soon, Draco was fully erect and thrashing in his sleep, murmuring for more. Ryder's hand moved to fondle his lover's balls, and felt them tighten and draw up. As Draco came, he screamed and his eyes snapped open, meeting the smirking green eyes of Ryder Hammond. Ryder swallowed every single drop Draco had to offer.

"I love you," Draco whispered as he fought to catch his breath.

"Love you as well," Ryder kissed his mate's thigh.

"Show me how much?" Ryder didn't respond. His hand moved to catch Draco's. His fingers twisted the small platinum ring that rested on Draco's finger. The ring was engraved with 'As Long As You Want Me' and was, in a way, an engagement ring. Draco had bought Ryder one in return of course, which was on the Vampyre's finger as well. "Please?" Draco asked with a whine, lifting his hips up.

He lifted himself up and urged Draco to roll onto his stomach. "Take me hard, please," Draco begged again. "I want to feel you for weeks afterwards."

Ryder did as his boyfriend asked, and didn't bother to pressed finger after finger into his mate's arse, he didn't bother to prepare or stretch his mate. He just lined the head of his cock up with the tight, puckered hole and whispered, "you sure?"

"Yes!" Draco said: it started off as a whisper and grew into a wail as Ryder pushed in passed the resisting muscle and made the blond wince in pain. "Don't stop," he ordered when he felt Ryder begin to pull away. "Keep going."

Ryder pushed in further, ignoring his boyfriend's gasp of pain, only listening to the cries and pleas for more. Soon he was entirely sheathed inside of the tight channel, which pulsed around his length making his moan and want so much more. He held himself still, knowing Draco was hurting, even though he had desired it. So he waited for Draco to make the first move.

Draco was still for a few minutes, drawing in ragged breaths as he tried to fight the urge to scream in pain. He had never been taken raw before, and Merlin he'd never ask for it again. It hurt so bloody much. He felt like Ryder to splitting him in half, and not in a good way. He thought he might just burst down the middle because his arse was being stretched so much. He gave a whimper and pushed back a little. He didn't particularly like the idea of making Ryder wait, he could feel the other boy within him, pulsating, desperate to move and Merlin Draco wanted him to, but it just hurt!

He took a few more deep breaths and pushed back slowly. He did it three times before the pain faded to a dull ache and he nodded. "Fuck me, Ryder, please?" He asked, his breathing still ragged.

Ryder didn't need any more encouragement; he drew back and slammed back in against Draco's prostate ringing a shriek from the other boy. They moved together for what seemed like hours before Draco started to gasp softly, his hand moving swiftly on his own erection, jerking himself in time to Ryder's thrusts. Ryder slapped the hand away and replaced it with his own. A couple more hard pulls later and Draco came over Ryder's hand and the bed sheets. He collapsed with a pleased groan, as Ryder continued to fuck his arse until he released his seed within the other boy.

He rolled to the side, not wanting to crush his lover. "I'll definitely be feeling that for a week." Draco joked as Ryder drew the other boy against his side.

As they were basking, a knock came at the door. Lucius' voice filtered through making Draco blush with embarrassment. "Use silencing charms next time, please boys?" Ryder laughed as Draco buried his face against the brunette's chest with a muffled groan of 'oh gods'.

_XXX_

Days passed, then weeks until it became a month. The night of the Twins' seventeenth birthday was spectacular. Atticus had pulled all of the stops out. Rose's favourite bands had been hired to perform at Lestrange Manor, minor spells cast on them to help them 'ignore' the uses of magic that night. Some of the Death Eaters were invited by Voldemort, who by then had already been named Minister for Magic; hardly anyone connected Tom Riddle with Lord Voldemort, they just knew what they had heard at the trial and felt sorry for the man.

Bullet For My Valentine screamed out hit after hit before being replaced by Fall Out Boy, then Billy Talent. The songs played while Ryder and Rose danced with their friends and their mates. The parents smiled and talked amongst themselves and pretended not to notice when Ryder and Draco sneaked out of the room together. Then, they pretended ignorance once more when Rose led Voldemort from the room to her bedroom.

While she joined with her Mate for the first time, Salazar and Rowena were reminded just how wonderful their joining had been all those years ago. Moments like those were notoriously hard to forget, and Salazar could remember practically every occasion he entered his Mate's willing body. Now, to be joined now, with these two, he smiled and thanked the Fates for their happily ever after.

Rose came first, arms and legs wrapped around Voldemort's body, mouth open in a silent scream as she shuddered and arched in pleasure. She felt Rowena orgasm with her, mentally making love with Salazar. As she came, she felt something leave her, like mist rising off a river Rowena floated from her body to hover above the writhing couple as she waited for Salazar.

Voldemort groaned his lovers name as he spilled his seed into the willing body, his lips moved to capture Rose's as Salazar rose from him to join his wife.

"Thank you, Tom," he whispered down at the man who was too wrapped up in his Mate to notice. Rowena smiled and took his hand.

They looked just like the ghosts at Hogwarts; expect for the longer they stayed in one place the more transparent they became. "I want to give Ryder one last gift." They walked through the wall connecting the bedrooms and smiled as Ryder made love to the blond teenager.

Draco came with a groan, arching off of the bed, his lips attacking Ryder's neck. Rowena sensed that the Vampyre was close and nodded at Salazar. They had to do this before it was too late. "You have given me death and allowed me to rest in peace," she whispered as she touched Ryder's forehead, one hand still held by Salazar. "I give you the gift of life in return." Her hand rubbed quickly over Draco's stomach as Ryder came with a hoarse cry. She smirked, watching as the seed entered the blond's body and Ryder pulled out of his Mate. She watched as they fell asleep curled around one another and she watched as Draco's stomach shone with a bright blue light before the light sank into the blond's body protecting the gift that grew within him.

"It is a pity," Salazar said as they began to fade from view, "hat we can not stay to see how he reacts."

"Yes," Rowena agreed as she looked up at the ceiling, and the direction of Heaven. "But I'm sure after the shock wears off they will both be thrilled."

"I suppose the wedding will have to be moved forward then." Salazar snorted with laughter, rubbing the blond's abdomen even as his hand began to disappear. Soon, neither of them were there anymore. Both had finally been allowed to move on, and rest in peace.

Draco and Ryder slept on; unaware of the miracle they had created with their love and the help of a friend.

Who knows what the future will bring, but one can hope it's beautiful. And what could be more so than a baby?

**XXX**

"Impressions received in childhood cannot be erased from the soul." – Fredrick the Great.

I just uploaded a new one-shot, called PARADISE LOST, if anyone is interested. I have an epilogue left for WOLF. What do you think of the two new ideas?

**Hush Little Baby** - [LMHP After defeating Voldemort, Harry ends up back in time. Bellatrix hoped to send him to 1944 (Voldemort's 7th year) but he ended up in 1971 (Lucius' 7th year). Lucius promises to find him in 1997 (Harry's 7th year) but Bellatrix makes sure he doesn't. Pregnant and alone Harry has to protect his baby from Bellatrix, who wants to raise the next Dark Lord. AU M-preg.

**Black Complication** – [LMHP When Sirius is declared innocent, his Will names Harry as his Heir, but Fudge finds a clause in Sirius' will that even Sirius didn't know about. If Harry Potter is to be Lord Black he has to marry a Black. Unfortunately, the choices are Bellatrix or Draco. But Harry is secretly married to Lucius and has been since the man turned spy in 6th year! What lengths will Fudge go to look like he has control of the situation? And there's one more secret, not yet out in the open. How will that affect the situation? AU M-preg.

Hope you liked it, and please review… (Cough 350 cough). See you in the epilogue!! Thanks for reading so far! Updated MUGGLE INCONVENIENCE a week ago, check it out? Am working on Chapter 5.

Ah sorry the update took so long! I hate final chapters; I always hit a writer's block, because I just don't want the story to finish!! It's even worse than when I finished MIRROR IMAGE because this one won't have a sequel! But I'll try and get the Epilogue up as soon as, the only problem is I'm working a lot this week!

Ahhhhh trauma! My tire burst on the way home from work today (July 1st 2007), and I didn't even know where my spare was. Then my mum drove down with my granddad and they changed it, and my spare was flat!! It's a conspiracy!!

Couldn't update last night (July 1st) cause my step-dad had a spaz attack and banned me from the computer and sent me upstairs so he could lock all the doors in the house, and lock my mum out! Wtf? My family is so damaged!!


	17. Epilogue The Rest Of Forever

This story is 192 pages long… or 88,091 words long! Wow!

This takes place 10 days after the end of the last chapter. 9-10 days is when symptoms of pregnancy first begin to show; but the embryo is still only the size of a grape. Cute!

Bare in mind, no one knows what is going on with Draco, because men don't get pregnant unless they have creature blood in this fic. And Ryder is the Vampyre, not Draco!

**Words: ** 5,206

**Epilogue**

**The Rest of Forever**

**July 31****st**** 1997: Ryder's 17****th**** Birthday.**

_Draco came with a groan, arching off of the bed, his lips attacking Ryder's neck. Rowena sensed that the Vampyre was close and nodded at Salazar. They had to do this before it was too late. "You have given me death and allowed me to rest in peace," she whispered as she touched Ryder's forehead, one hand still held by Salazar. "I give you the gift of life in return." Her hand rubbed quickly over Draco's stomach as Ryder came with a hoarse cry. She smirked, watching as the seed entered the blond's body and Ryder pulled out of his Mate. She watched as they fell asleep curled around one another and she watched as Draco's stomach shone with a bright blue light before the light sank into the blond's body protecting the gift that grew within him. _

"_It is a pity," Salazar said as they began to fade from view, "that we can not stay to see how he reacts." _

**August 10****th**** 1997. 10 Days Later. **

Draco Malfoy was very annoyed. He wasn't annoyed at anyone in particular; he was just annoyed. And what was really annoying was, when asked, he couldn't say why he was annoyed. Only that he was.

He clicked his fingers and smirked when Sufi the house elf popped into the room. She held out a glass of water, which Draco took gratefully and finished in one gulp. He handed the glass back without a word, and Sufi was used to the young blond's sudden craving for water that she immediately disappeared and returned with two glasses this time. Draco scowled as he took both glasses. Maybe this contributed to the fact that he was annoyed. He'd been eating like a pig lately, the weirdest foods, foods he usually hated… and now he was drinking like a fish too.

He growled and handed the glasses back; one was empty, the other was still full. "Wait there," he growled as he stormed out of Ryder's bedroom.

He was also annoyed, he supposed, because the amount of water he was drinking meant he practically had to piss every three minutes. The rest of the household were hosting a dinner party, to celebrate his and Ryder's engagement but he couldn't go. It wasn't so much that he couldn't go, but that he wouldn't. Especially not when he would have to be able to explain why he had to leave the room every three minutes to _fucking bloody_ PISS!

He punched the mirror after he washed his hands and cursed. If he knew why he was so thirsty it wouldn't bother him so much. He'd just ask Severus to brew him some sort of potion. But it was the not knowing that annoyed him so much. Not to mention, he had started crying – actually CRYING – yesterday when Viktor Krum had mentioned that the trousers Draco was wearing didn't flatter his figure. For some reason, Draco had taken it into his head that Viktor had called him fat! Fat? Draco cursed again; something was very wrong with him, and he swore by Merlin, if someone didn't find out what soon, he'd murder everyone he could get his hormonal hands on.

He stormed back into Ryder's bedroom and grabbed the glass of water from Sufi. He sat down and pouted, trying desperately to think what could be wrong with him. The thirstiness had only really started yesterday – 9 days after he and Ryder made love on Ryder's birthday – but he had been angsty for a few days before that. Could he be sick?

Draco held the glass out again, and Sufi went to fetch some more water. "Maybe I'm dying? I could be really dehydrated because I'm dying." He mumbled out loud.

Sufi gave the glass back, and Draco gulped it down again. "Master Draco, Sir," the little elf said hesitantly. "Sufi mights be knowing whats being wrong with Master, Sir." Draco looked up, his eyes wide and hopeful.

"Really?" The house elf nodded and opened her mouth to speak, but Draco jumped off the bed and ran from the room. A minute later, Sufi heard the bathroom door slam shut and look. She frowned; he needed to urinate again!

_XXX_

**September 14****th ****1997. Draco is 6 Weeks or 1½ Months Pregnant. **

Ryder smirked as he looked over at his fiancé. Draco was pouting, his arms folded across his chest as he glared at anyone who dared to giggle. "I am not wearing a dress!" He hissed out, eyes narrowing further when he caught sight of Ryder's smirk.

"Oh please, baby?" Ryder asked with a coy smile. "I love you." He whispered, running a hand down Draco's thigh.

"No! I don't care how much you love me. I'm not getting married in a dress." He pinched Ryder's hand, and the Vampyre pulled his hand back. Ryder looked at Draco, his lower lip trembling, trying to incite pity. Instead, Draco reached out and smacked Ryder on the head. "No!" He hissed again.

The wedding wouldn't be happening until August the following year, because traditionally Purebloods didn't get engaged until at least one of them had left school. But that was what normal people did, and Ryder had never been normal. So, at seventeen-years-old, he was engaged to Draco whom he loved more than anything. But Narcissa wouldn't budge on that smidgen of tradition: they were marrying after they were both eighteen.

They were in their 7th and final year at Hogwarts, except at that moment they had both been called home to discuss wedding plans. Well, Draco had been called home. Ryder had refused to go back to Hogwarts considering he had his NEWTs from Durmstrang to fall back on. Draco offered to drop out of school and be a househusband but his mother and father, both, had threatened to smack him with his father's snake headed cane.

"Please Dragon, please? You'll look so beautiful. I promise." Ryder pleaded, his hands clasped in front of his chest, his eyes begging.

"What I'll look like, Hammond, is a boy in a bloody dress!" Draco shouted. He opened his mouth to say something else, but his hand flew to cover his mouth as his stomach revolted. With a panicked look on his face, Draco jumped out of his chair and tried to make it to the bathroom. He made it to the study door, before bending in half and throwing up his breakfast all over the flood, the door and his shoes. He gave a groan and wiped his mouth on the back of his sleeve.

"I get it," Ryder said with a small smile, "you don't want to wear a dress." He moved to help Draco, but the blond stopped him. He held an arm out, turning to face his fiancé with tears in his eyes.

"What's wrong with me?" He asked in a quite, sad voice.

Ryder pulled Draco against his chest, ignoring the vomit on the boy's clothing. "Nothing. You're just unwell. It'll go away soon." Ryder rubbed his hands up and down Draco's back, as the blond pressed his face against his lovers neck and sobbed. The parents' of both of the boys watched on sadly, none of them knew what was wrong either, but they desperately wanted to.

Ryder led Draco back to his seat five minutes later. Just as Draco was about to sit down again, his hand flew to his mouth and he darted out of the room. This time he made it to the bathroom, and threw up in the sink.

_XXX_

**September 31****st**** 1997. Draco is 8 Weeks or 2 Months Pregnant.**

Hogwarts was boring, Draco decided, especially since he was on his own. But that didn't bother him too much. If Ryder was there, they'd both be having adventures like Harry Potter used to with his friends. Or, when they weren't exploring and getting into trouble, they'd be making love – which was usually one of Draco's favourite pastimes when it came to his lover, but right now he was far too tired.

He'd only been back at school a month and he was knackered. He was hard pressed not to fall asleep in all of his lessons, and it took three of his friends to force him out of the bed in the morning. For the past three days, he had slept like the dead and he was always even more tired waking up then he was going to bed.

And he was still throwing up.

Severus had kicked him out of Potions class at least three times over the past two weeks. The first time, he had thrown up in his cauldron, and the sight of the vomit had made him throw up a second time; this time on Severus who came over to help. The second time he had been thrown out he had thrown up in Neville Longbottom's cauldron when they were paired together, and the potion had exploded all over Severus. And the third time, he had just fallen asleep. One minute he had bee taking notes and the next he was asleep, his nose in his pot of ink.

It was driving him mad. Potions was his best class and he was failing this semester already because he couldn't stop getting sick and sleeping. He needed to find out what was wrong with him.

But he'd be damned if he was going to Madame Pomfrey.

The sound of his door opening made him look up, his eyes wide. He had his own room of course, being Head Boy – a very sleepy one, though – so he had never really been surprised when Ryder had snuck in to see him a few nights a week. But that had been before; before the sickness and the tiredness. And he was so tired!

"Hello love," Ryder whispered as he stripped off and slid into the bed. He frowned, as he ran his hands up Draco's thighs, and realized the boy was dressed.

"Not tonight, Ryder," the blond muttered as he wriggled away from his lover. "I'm tired. And I have a headache."

"Right," the brunette said, crossing his arms over his chest and lying on his back so he wasn't even touching his fiancé. "Goodnight." He waited for Draco to reply, but the blond was already asleep.

_XXX_

**October 31****st**** 1997. Draco is 12 Weeks or 3 Months Pregnant. **

Draco giggled hysterically. He was home for the holidays, and was in the middle of lunch. The Hammonds had joined them for the evening. As one, everybody at the table turned to look at Draco. For the past month, when everyone ate, Draco would run from the room to throw up. He only ever ate the bare minimum, and sometimes he ate the most disgusting foods only to throw them up minutes later.

But now, he was happily piling chicken and potatoes and vegetables onto his plate, still laughing.

"What's wrong love?" Ryder asked, his hand moving under the table to squeeze the blond's.

Draco grinned. "I don't feel sick! Ryder… I'm not throwing up! Isn't it great?"

Ryder leant over to kiss Draco's cheek. "That's brilliant love," he whispered, "see, I told you whatever bug you had would go away!"

"Congratulations," Narcissa said with an airy smile. "Now that you're well again, we can continue planning the wedding!"

"We have to pick out a dress for you!" Violet beamed at the couple. Ryder beamed back and Draco scowled.

"I am NOT wearing a dress!" He crossed his arms over his chest and tried to look pathetic. "I thought you dropped that idea?"

"I did." Ryder agreed with a kiss to Draco's cheek. The blond gave a relieved sigh, but then Ryder said, "but you're not sick anymore!" Draco scowled for the rest of the evening.

_XXX_

**November 14****th**** 1997. Draco is 14 Weeks or 3½ Months Pregnant. **

It was the first Slytherin Quidditch match of the season and Draco was very excited. The last year he had been under far too much pressure to even think about enjoying Quidditch, and in fact he had pretended to be sick for most of the games. And the year before, Umbridge had banned Harry Potter from playing, so Draco didn't really find the game challenging enough to play. But now, there was no Potter, he was free to enjoy the game, and Ryder would be sitting in the Slytherin stand beside his father and Severus cheering him on.

He was kissing Ryder 'hello' at the moment, but he was due on the pitch shortly. But before Ryder left to join Lucius and Severus, there was a pressing question Draco had to ask his lover. He pulled up his shirt, and turned side ways. "Ryder, am I fat?" He asked poking at his stomach.

Ryder looked and sure enough there was a tiny little bump over his abdomen, but Ryder wouldn't have called it fat. His hand reached out to feel and gasped. The bump wasn't fatty, it was hard, and when he pushed against it Draco gasped.

"No love, you're not fat." Ryder said, pulling Draco's Quidditch uniform shirt down and patting his stomach. "You're not fat at all, love." But Ryder frowned as Draco joined his teammates on the pitch. There had been a lump on his fiancés stomach; but what was it, if not fat?

The game had been going on for about an hour, and Slytherin were winning 200 to 120. Draco waved briefly towards the Slytherin stand, where his father was sitting with Severus and Ryder. Then he darted across the pitch as he spotted the Snitch by the Gryffindor stand. Suddenly, it felt as if something was pressing against his lungs from the inside. Something pushing his lungs out of the way. Like there was something growing inside of him, trying to make room, or something trying to claw its way out of him.

He let go of the broom, pressing both hands to his chest. He gasped for breath, his throat constricting as his chest tightened. "I can't breath," he wheezed as one of the other Slytherin players flew over to him.

Before the other boy could do anything, Draco gave another gasp and his eyes rolled back in his head. Ryder jumped out of his seat with a cry as Draco slipped from his broom and began to fall twenty feet to earth. Lucius' wand snapped out before Ryder's and he levitated his son towards him, slowly, carefully; his face marred by a worried frown.

Ryder scoped Draco into his arms when Lucius floated the boy to the floor of the Slytherin stand. With an unhappy growl, he walked away from the pitch in the direction of the Infirmary. Madame Pomfrey followed dutifully. Lucius and Severus went along as well.

Laying Draco down on one of the beds, Ryder pressed his hand to Draco's stomach, feeling the small bump. "What happened?" Madame Pomfrey said as she walked into the Infirmary.

Behind her was the boy who had flown over to Draco. "He just fell. He said he couldn't breath, and then he fell!" The boy said shakily. "Will he be ok?"

"We'll see. You may go." She walked to the bed. Lucius glared at her and she glared right back. "Now, Lucius Malfoy, don't you look at me like that!" She faced Ryder. "Is there anything I should know before I start my examination?"

"He's been feeling sick a lot. Throwing up during meals and in the morning. That stopped two weeks ago though. He's been eating strangely; maybe he's allergic to something? He asked me if he was fat before the match."

"What did you say?" Severus said with a slight smirk.

"I told him he wasn't."

"And is he?" Madame Pomfrey asked, staring at Draco's abdomen.

Ryder frowned; his hand began stroking the almost flat expanse of his lover's belly. "Not quite. There's this bump and it's really small, but I don't know where it came from." He pulled the shirt up for her to see. She gasped and began running her wand up and down the blond's body.

"Anything else?" She snapped.

"He was really thirsty back in August. But that probably doesn't matter." Ryder looked confused.

"Count back ten days from when you first noticed him drinking a lot." He counted, "well? What happened on that date?"

"We, uh, had sex." She made a humming noise and cast a few more spells.

"It shouldn't be possible. It can't be, but it is! Would you like to see, Ryder? He should be far enough along. It's been over 3 months." She mumbled more to herself than the Vampyre.

"See what? Is he ill?"

"Good Merlin, no, child. He's pregnant!" Ryder looked at the bump under his hand, then to Lucius who gaped at him. He looked at Severus who was trying not to laugh, then to a beaming Madame Pomfrey. Then he looked back at Draco, who was awake and glaring at him.

"YOU GOT ME PREGNANT!!" He screamed, before his eyes rolled back in his head and he passed out again.

Severus snickered. "Now he'll have to wear a dress!"

_XXX_

**March 14****th**** 1997. Draco is 30 Weeks or 7½ Months Pregnant. **

The weekend was a boring one, Draco decided at his sat at the dining table in Malfoy Manor. His mother was desperately trying to get him married before his due date in April, but Draco refused. Not because he wanted to stick to tradition, but rather he didn't want to risk looking fat in the wedding photos.

Ryder was talking to his own mother about what kind of dress would suit Draco best, while Narcissa sulked because Draco was still planning to wait until the summer to marry. Lucius wasn't as bothered as Draco thought he might be. He had expected his father to rage at him for getting pregnant outside of a marriage, but he didn't. Instead he pointed out that they were mates, and Draco was the one pregnant not Ryder, so it couldn't be planned for. Everyone had come to the conclusion that it had something to do with either Rowena or Salazar.

They couldn't ask Rose or Voldemort, as the both of them had disappeared for a holiday together after the birthday party ended.

Draco looked down at his swollen stomach and couldn't help but smile. At least he had a reason for all of the weird things he had been doing months ago. And Severus had let him back into Potions class, as long as they weren't brewing something dangerous or harmful to the baby. His hand rested lightly on the bump. It wasn't so much a bump anymore; it was more like a small mountain. Madame Pomfrey had told him the child was over half of its birth weight now.

Unexpectedly, he was looking forward to being a parent. Surprisingly he wasn't all that bothered to be the one pregnant… however, there was no way he was going through morning sickness again, so Ryder could have the next one, or they could find a surrogate.

He had three months of school to get through, and the child would have been born before he was due to sit his NEWTs, so that wasn't much of a problem.

He picked up a glass of water and turned to smile at the back of Ryder's head. But his hand suddenly tingled and the glass slipped from between numb fingers and shattered on the floor. "Oh," he said quietly as every one turned to stare at him, "I can't feel my fingers."

Ryder moved to stand behind him. He took one of Draco's hands in his and began to squeeze the wrist and alternatively rub the fingers. "It's ok, Dragon. Your wrists and ankles are swollen cause you're pregnant. That means there's more pressure on the nerves, which is why your fingers are numb. You haven't done anything wrong." He whispered against Draco's cheek.

"Ok," he muttered, staring at the shattered glass. "But I'm still thirsty."

_XXX_

**April 14****th**** 1997. Draco is 34 Weeks or 8½ Months Pregnant.**

"I'm bored, Blaise!" Draco whined. He wasn't allowed to play Quidditch, he wasn't allowed to practise new Charms or do Self-Transfiguration like the rest of his year. He had been kicked out of Defence Against the Dark Arts because they were practising non-verbal attack spells, and the Professor didn't want to risk Draco being hit by a stray curse. Blaise had been a great friend by walking out of the lesson with him.

They were both lying down by the Black Lake, reading a book about non-verbal attack spells. "Me too. I should have stayed in the lesson." He mumbled, and regretted it at the sight of Draco's crest fallen face. "Oh, Dray, no, I didn't mean it like that. Please don't cry!" But it was too late, as Draco had already dissolved into hormonal sobs.

"Sorry, I-I-I'm bori-ing, B-Blaise!" He wailed out between choked sobs.

The Italian sighed and enfolded his best friend into his arms. "It's my fault and I am sorry. I'm so sorry, please stop crying." He rubbed Draco's back. "You're not boring!"

"I a-am." Draco insisted, but before he could say anymore, he let out a shocked cry and his hand flew to his stomach. "Oh Blaise!" The other boy frowned and began to pet the blond's stomach, searching for something wrong.

"What happened, are you hurt? Oh!" He trailed off in amazement as he felt a small kick to his hand. "Dray, your baby's kicking me!"

"Isn't it great?" The blond asked, and started crying again.

"Oh please don't cry. I really don't think you're boring, honest!" Blaise tried to pull Draco against him comfortingly again, but Draco pulled away.

"No silly," He laughed through the tears. "Happy tears, happy tears," he mumbled wiping them away with a grin. He pressed his hand to his stomach again and laughed when his child kicked him.

_XXX_

**April 21****st**** 1997. Draco is 35 Weeks Pregnant.**

Draco gave a pained cry, his hand pressed to his swollen stomach. It was April, he was due in April, and his stomach was constricting which hurt a lot. A contraction hit him and he gave another cry. "I think I'm in labour!" He said without raising his hand. He slowly peeled his pregnant – fat, in his opinion – body out of his chair, and lumbered out of the door before Professor Runespoor could dismiss him.

He burst into the Infirmary, clutching his stomach and frantically screaming for Madame Pomfrey. She came out of her office like the Dogs of Hades were after her. "I'm in labour, I'm in labour!" He shouted and tried to drag himself onto a bed. "Call Ryder, get my father!"

"Did your waters break?" She asked calmly, running her wand over his body.

"No." He said slowly, not understand why she hadn't given him a pain-killing potion yet.

"Then you aren't in labour. What you are feeling is known as Braxton Hicks Contractions." She smiled calmly at him. "The walls of your – do you even have a uterus? Anyway, they are contracting because, or at least this is what Muggles think, Oxytocin is being released into your blood stream slowly, to get your body used to the feeling. When you go into labour, Oxytocin will be released in larger quantities and the mucous membrane surrounding the foetus will burst, which will be your waters breaking."

"But I'm not in labour?" Draco asked, thinking that was the most important thing Madame Pomfrey could tell him right then.

"No you aren't." She smiled and he hopped off the bed.

Waddling to the door he grinned, "Great, I'm going to lunch then."

_XXX_

**April 31****st**** 1997. Draco is 9 Months pregnant.**

"Ouch," Draco muttered as he waddled his way to Care of Magical Creatures with the rest of the Slytherins in his year. His stomach was contracting again, but his waters hadn't broken so he assumed it was more of those Braxton thingies! Anyway, Malfoys are always fashionably late, and his child was a Malfoy. It would be born in May, so there.

"Ouch," he said again, as the pain shot down his back and his legs. He almost fell over, but Pansy grabbed his arm and wrapped her own around his waist. "Stop groping me!" He hissed and pushed her away. He doubled over in pain. "Oh shit," he muttered as he felt a rush of fluids, and his pants were suddenly soaking wet. "I'M IN LABOUR!" He screamed. "Help me!" He doubled over, clutching his stomach and taking deep breaths.

"Breath, breath," Blaise said trying to be helpful.

Draco grabbed him by the shirt collar and growled into his face. "I. Am. Fucking. Breathing." He snarled. "Get help." He lay on the ground, curling into a ball, and holding his stomach. He didn't even know how men had babies. He dearly hoped he wouldn't have to push it out of his arse.

He was going to kill Ryder.

Twelve hours later, Draco knew exactly how men had babies, and he wasn't at all impressed with the idea. His perineum has split open, so he had a pseudo vagina, behind his scrotum. He had rather been hoping to have what Ryder assumed he would have. A Caesarean Section; Ryder insisted it was the only way for a non-Creature to give birth. Atticus had looked at his son and grinned before looking away. No one had bothered to tell Draco anything.

And they hadn't given him any pain killing potions either. He highly doubted that those so-called endorphins had been doing their job, like Madame Pomfrey insisted. Because he had been taken to a whole new level of pain.

He found a new burst of love for his mother. How could she not hate him after he caused her that kind of pain?

He was sure that he'd hate his child – if they ever let Draco see it.

Of course he'd hate it, and Ryder too.

Suddenly something was being placed in his arms, and he looked down and gasped at the scrunched up little face of his child. He did try to hate the baby, but all the pain he had felt seemed to melt away. He sniffled lightly and cuddled the child close as Ryder – his hand healed from when Draco broke it during labour – sat on the edge of the hospital bed.

"It's a girl, Dray." Ryder whispered, leaning closer to his blond lover. "Can we name her after a flower?" He ran his hand over Draco's head, brushing the boy's fringe off of his sweaty forehead.

"I don't hate her, Ryder?" He asked quietly, not quite sure if it was a question or not.

"Of course you don't. She's our baby." Ryder kissed Draco's cheek softly and Draco turned to look at him. His eyes were watering again.

"But she hurt me so bad." He sniffed and ran his fingers down the baby's nose. "Can we have another?" Maybe, he decided, getting pregnant again and having morning sickness again wouldn't be so bad.

"Madame Pomfrey said it would be possible. However you got pregnant, you also somehow got a womb for yourself. So you can get pregnant again when ever you like. Until then, lots of contraceptive potions." He paused, "well, if contraception works on you that is." Draco gave a dry chuckle.

"We are not having sex again till after the wedding." Draco glared at his fiancé. "I like Ivy."

"What's a climbing plant to do with anythi- oh," Ryder blushed and looked down at his daughter. "I like Ivy too."

"And if the next one is a boy, we can name him Korbin. It's half the Latin name for an Iceberg which is a white garden rose."

"How'd you know?" Ryder asked with a suspicious smile.

Draco kissed his daughter's head and grinned, "mother has them at the Manor." Ryder nodded and Draco turned to kiss his lover's cheek as well. "By the way, I've decided to wear a dress."

_XXX_

**August 31****st**** 1997. Ivy is 4 Months old.**

Everyone turned in their seats as the music began to sound through the grounds of Malfoy Manor. Draco Malfoy blushed slightly under the scrutiny as every guest at his wedding stared at him in shock. Only his family were expecting him to be dressed like he was.

Instead of the satin white robes that Ryder was sporting, waiting at the front of the crowd with the officiator from the Ministry, Draco was wearing something Muggle. And not just anything Muggle, but a dress!

His dress was ivory coloured and fell to the ground in soft layers of satin and chiffon that swayed around his feet as he walked. There was so much fabric surrounding him, that Ryder half thought he was pregnant again. The Vampyre at to look at Narcissa, who was holding Ivy, just to make sure. Draco had a veil on, covering his face and his hair. It was ivory again, but with a faint pink touch to it, to match the pale pink gloves that covered his arms. His engagement ring sat on one finger, over the glove, the diamond sparkling.

He smiled shyly at Ryder, and mouthed, "well?"

Ryder gave him a 'thumbs up'. Draco blushed again and carried on walking forward, in time with the music. When he reached the front of the garden, the officiator gave a small bow and Draco nodded and bowed in return, as tradition required.

"Friends and family, we come together today to celebrate the joining of Ryder Ravyn Hammond and Draconais Lucius Malfoy. May they be happy and fruitful, wealthy and content until their time among us passes. I give you my blessing."

As one, the crowd of guests called out, "I give you my blessing."

"Since there are none among us that disagree," the officiator said, "I pronounce you bonded with the blessing of the Fates." Before he could give his permission, Ryder pulled Draco towards him and kissed him hard on the lips. The officiator gave a snort of amusement. "Go in peace and prosperity."

That night, the couple cemented their bond physically and with extreme pleasure. Of course, Draco had Ryder give him at least two contraceptive potions, just to be safe. Ivy wasn't even half a year old yet; now was no time for more kids.

When they came together, the other's name falling from their lips Draco stomach gave a faint pink glow. The light spread around his abdomen before sinking into the skin, much like the first time they conceived. "Uh," Ryder said rolling off of the blond. "I guess contraception doesn't work on your womb."

Draco just glared at Ryder and turned on his side, pretending to sulk. To be quite honest, he wasn't as adverse to the idea of another child as he was pretending to be. Babies were a blessing, especially when it shouldn't have been possible for Draco to be impregnated and carry Ivy to term. What harm could one more child do to his figure?

After all, Malfoy's never did do anything by halves!

**XXX**

**The End**

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it. Now, wave buh bye to **WOLF**! And review please? I didn't reach the 350 for the last 15 chapters so there wont be a one-shot of choice. Remember that Ryder saw Draco wearing a wedding dress in the Mirror of ERISED, so emphasis on the dress.

Also, I've had a lot of requests to sequel/epilogue **MUGGLE INCONVENIENCE** but I just don't have the time. So, as it was suggested… it's up for adoption but only if I approve you. 1. Email me and tell me what you plan to do with the story. 2. Credit me for the original idea, and AfraidofReality as well. 3. Don't use any of my story in your own, because that would be plagiarism. And 4. Have Harry show Draco how to open a can of Muggle coke (because I was supposed to do that and I forgot about it).

THERE IS A POLL… AT MY LJ… GO VOTE FOR THE FICTION YOU WANT TO READ WHEN I FINISH **Black Complication** PLEASE!

I really want to do **INDELIBLE** but it looks like **HUSH LITTLE BABY** is going to win. See you then.


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